The most common password mistakes (and how to fix them)

Data theft and break-in statistics keep growing. Are you part of the minority that protects their accounts the right way? Here are the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

You think your password is secure because it mixes numbers, symbols and letters

We humans commonly use names of people, objects and special dates to create passwords. But I’m sure you use a more advanced technique than that: you swap some letters in words for symbols to create a “more secure” password. The intention is good, but it’s definitely not enough.

Home computers today can try millions of combinations per second, and use techniques that replace letters in dictionary words with numbers and symbols. Most passwords can be cracked in under 2 hours. You can test the strength of your passwords on Bitwarden’s site.

The easiest way to avoid this kind of attack is to use completely random passwords, such as hF2@ea$2R5Eh!s. Throughout this article you’ll learn how it’s humanly possible to generate and keep track of difficult passwords like this one.

You have a pet password and use it for everything

Some people come up with a reasonably difficult combination and decide to use it on almost every site and account they use. That creates an even bigger problem: security breaches and data leaks can expose your beloved password online, so that every service where you use the same password is potentially vulnerable.

The problem is even worse because even a complete layperson can exploit this security hole. Nothing stops an employee of your company or a digital marketing agency from trying your company Instagram password on your other social networks or even your email. How many contractors, customers, employees, interns and business partners have passed through your company in the last 5 years?

You only change your password when you forget it

When we think of threats, we always think of a malicious outside intruder. We reserve the right to think we’re the good guys and usually on the victim’s side. That’s a big mistake. In doing so, we forget the biggest threat of all: ourselves.

Despite our good intentions, we’re far from perfect: our memory isn’t entirely reliable, and tomorrow we may forget something that’s rock-solid and memorable today. But I’m sure that will never happen to you. You’ve probably never clicked the “Forgot my password” button, right?

You find two-factor authentication annoying

The world’s tech giants spend a lot of energy and resources trying to teach people about secure passwords, only to reach the obvious conclusion that humans are terrible at creating and keeping their passwords secure.

This problem is so big that big companies have been moving away from passwords for sign-in and using new forms of authentication.

There are several two-factor authentication apps, but the ones we recommend are:

• Authy (free)
• Bitwarden (feature available in the paid version)

The Authy app also gives you more flexibility if your phone is lost or stolen, since it lets you restore your code backup from another device.

You write your passwords down in a spreadsheet or planner

Writing your main passwords in your iPhone’s notes or on the inside cover of the planner on your desk isn’t that secure, is it? It’s better to use a password manager for that. A password manager lets you generate random, unique passwords for each service, and stores your passwords and notes very securely. That removes the need to remember all our passwords by heart. The services we recommend are:

• Bitwarden (free version)
• Proton Pass (free version)

Once the app is installed in your browser and on your phone, creating a secure password takes just 2 clicks:

Final notes

The tips above can help you bring order and security to your digital life, but there’s no definitive method of defense.

To improve our security, we inevitably give up a little convenience. There are more secure methods than the ones mentioned in this post, but what really matters is finding the right balance for your risk matrix.

Even though no method is 100% effective, improving security in today’s world is unavoidable.