Can Your Password Pass a Security Test?

Are your passwords easy to remember?
More importantly: Are your passwords easy for someone else to figure out?
Good news: You can have the best of both worlds. Here are a few suggestions as to how.

Begin with a mnemonic - a memory aid that is unique to you. This can be a word, letter or number pattern that permits you to remember and use password patterns multiple times, but keeps others clueless.

Then add an algorithm - a systematic approach for applying your mnemonic pattern to each new password need.

Here's an example:
Jodi likes music. She selects an orchestra section -- "brass" let's say -- that she can stick with for a while as a password base. She also can remember her fondness of fruit and a 3-digit number. Combine these, with a way to identify the site or program the password is for. The first two letters could work.
RESULT: Jodi's Facebook password could be "brass233berryFa" This combination meets the must haves for a strong password:

• at least 6 characters.
  
• contains a number.
  
• upper and lowercase.
  
• less than 16 characters (some sites restrict length)
  

Voila! Something that Jodi can remember, that is tough for others to discern, using a pattern that can be reused.
This works, of course, as long as Jodi has a memory that serves her well most of the time.

You don't have to rely solely upon your memory though, even if your mnemonic works perfectly for you.
You can store your passwords online. The founder of Noobie, Patric Welch wrote in a recent article about the challenges surrounding where to store passwords. He offers several suggestions for safely storing passwords on the internet "in the cloud."

"Is your head in the cloud about passwords?" aptly details the mostly upside of keeping your secret password sauce in the internet cloud, along with some additional safeguards to consider.

The next time you have trouble coming up with yet another password, you may wish to try this process.

E-mail us with your questions, or leave Comments below, about how to reach your business goals.

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