Passwords
2022 Jul 22
A method that ticks many boxes for creating your own passwords. The main thing is to not be using a ’low hanging fruit’ password, a really easy one, and have different ones for every login. Instead of relying on memory or a password service, combine two tricks:
Step 1
Create your own method to make a ‘base’ string of characters that you reuse.
For example, take a phrase like ‘You shall not pass’ or something.
Use the first letters of each word
ysnp
Pick a four digit number, two before and two after perhaps, something like ‘2022’
20ysnp22
Add a symbol (!?"£$%^&*()_+) and an uppercase letter or two
20ysnp22?B
Use your imagination. You do this only the once and this is the one to remember what steps you’ve used. You are remembering four things. The phrase, the number, the symbol and the letter (or letters).
Another example with ’two pints of lager and a packet of crisps please’, 1066, !, AZ
10tpolaapocp66!AZ
Step 2
Take the name of the system you’re logging in to, let’s use ‘facebook’, and apply two or three modifications. Again, use the imagination, for instance, Capitalise the first letter, put it at the end and swap the second letter for a ‘9’:
a9ebookF
The same three steps to ‘google’
o9gleG
Step 3
Add it to the base
20ysnp22?Ba9ebookF
or
10tpolaapocp66!AZo9gleG
Maybe put the base last
a9cbookF20ysnp22?B
Benefits
You can recreate the password by remembering your base and applying your rules to the site’s name. You don’t remember the password itself, just the steps to apply. Many people already have a ‘base’ password that they reuse for everything so maybe use that but add the step 2 above. You end up with long, complex passwords different for every site. There are situations where this approach isn’t so good, like when a password has to be regularly changed it can get a bit too involved for me, but generally speaking it works pretty well.
Use a password service or some method to record them for a while. After a bit you’ll probably find that you don’t need to record them because you are remembering the method. This is ideal if you don’t have to record it anywhere! Create your own methods of course, that’s most of the fun :)
Works for me!