Since a data breach can cost $4.24 million, it's important that you take all possible preventative measures to keep your data safe. Password protection is a great way to secure information, but it only works if you use the strongest possible password.

Here, we're going to talk about how to create a strong password that keeps cybercriminals off your network. Read on to learn some simple tips on securing your personal, financial, and business information.

1. Longer Passwords Pay Off

The majority of hackers attack with something called 'brute force.' This means that they run software that tries all possible combinations of characters, numbers, and special symbols. It isn't like in the movies where the hacker tries to crack characters one by one- in real life, cybercriminals crack passwords in one piece.

If there is a one-character password, there are only about 70 different possibilities (assuming that it can be a letter, number, or symbol). a 10-character password will have 2,824,752,490,000,000,000 possibilities.

This means that a longer password is a stronger password.

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are common password-cracking technologies. They can crack about 200,000 passwords per second. A 10-character password would take about 90 billion years to crack, so you're safe from these attacks when you use a longer password. If your password is even longer- 12 to 15 characters- this makes it even more difficult for the hacker.

2. Choose Something Simple but Complex

Many services are now forcing users to choose passwords with uppercase/lowercase combinations mixed with numbers and symbols. This is to prevent people from choosing simple and silly passwords like "car123."

This is important because "dictionary attacks" are common. A hacker runs software that takes common passwords from a list of databases. The software then tries each one against an encrypted target password.

If the password is unique, it will not be cracked, whereas something simple and nonunique like "car123" will be cracked in minutes.

Length is the most important quality of a strong password, so you can choose something long and easy to remember. Make sure that there is something unique at the end of the password. Rather than "car123," you might try "whereismycardude!@y67."

3. Store Your Password the Right Way

There are tons of different password manager technologies on the market in 2022. While they aren't terrible, they are also the first place that hackers will look for your passwords. They constantly are coming up with new technologies to penetrate various software, so it's only a matter of time before they breach this software.

You would do better to simply memorize your password. This should be easy since you chose something easy to remember. If you need to, you can also write parts of your password on a sticky note or in a Word document to jog your memory.

Make sure that you don't write out the full password. "whereismycardude!@y67" can simply be written as "whereis..." People won't be able to guess the password from this, but you will remember.

Beyond How to Create a Strong Password

While understanding password strength can be a challenge, it's critical that you take the time to learn what passwords can actually improve data security. Now that you know how to create a strong password, it's time to get started.

Our experts are committed to helping you keep all of your sensitive information safe. Contact us with any questions that you have about choosing the strongest passwords for brute force attacks.