How To Generate a Strong Password

Have you seen that small pop-up on your phone or laptop that says your password has been compromised? 

Simple and weak passwords are prone to guesswork, and attackers can force their way in if the password length is too short. Attackers can easily guess simple passwords like your birthday, email account, or one of your former phone numbers.  

A long password made up of a random string of characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols, is considered strong security against data breaches.  

Creating a strong password for each of your accounts is the best way to protect your sensitive information. Coming up with a unique password for every account and learning each one by heart can be challenging. This is where a password generator can help you create a random password. Password generators are also beneficial when you want to change an old password. 

The next challenge is storing your passwords safely so that you can keep track of each of your account’s login information. McAfee True Key is another tool to streamline your password security and management. Simply sign in once using a master password, and True Key will auto-save and autofill your passwords for you whenever you want to access one of your accounts. 

Why you should use a password generator

A password generator is a software that creates random passwords for its users. A random password generator will construct passwords of any length using numbers, letters, and symbols. You can also add customizations to your randomly generated password, such as using only alphanumeric characters with no symbols. Using a password generator is considered a great way to secure your data. Without a strong password to secure your data, you risk financial fraud and identity theft. 

In addition to stealing your money, a hacker who controls your account can apply for new credit cards and reduce your credit score. 

With the rapid growth of security failure and cybercrime, a strong password from a password generator can protect your data against fraud and malware attacks. Traditional password attacks include brute force attacks, rainbow tables, and dictionary attacks.  

A strong password consisting of a long string of ambiguous characters, including alphanumeric and symbols, can shield against this. Whenever you are asked to update a password on one of your account websites, you can immediately create a strong password using a password generator. It’s also a healthy practice to update passwords every three months. You can accomplish this easily using a password generator. 

What makes a strong password?

The password strength directly correlates to the computing power needed to crack it. Here are the key elements of a strong password:  

• Length. Experts recommend creating a password with a minimum of eight characters. A minimum of 12 characters is recommended if your password is protecting something sensitive, such as access to your bank account.  

• Complexity. Creating a complex password that uses everything on your keyboard is ideal. This includes lowercase or uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers.  
• No dictionary words. It is recommended never to use common names or words in passwords. Although it is easy to choose a word, a brute-force way to hack into accounts involves using every dictionary word. 
• No common patterns. Similar to common words, common patterns are also likely to create less secure passwords. Examples include using one uppercase, five lowercase, “qwerty,” and three digits — like “ozdFea243.” 
• Uniqueness. Avoid cycling through the same set of passwords or recycling one across different online accounts. This diminishes the strength of a strong password.  
• Multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication offers an added layer of security when logging in. For instance, in the case of two-factor authentication, the user needs to have a cell phone to verify identity in addition to a password. 

How password generators work

A good password generator tool works by creating a random password using “cryptographically secure” random values. In other words, these passwords cannot be predicted by attackers even if they replicate the algorithm employed by the generator. This makes such password generators an incredibly safe and effective way to create unique passwords. In addition to their security, password generators let you tailor your new password to a preferred length and complexity.  

You can generate a slew of unique passwords in an instant. Once you find one you like, your password generator can save it for you. Some secure password generators like McAfee True Key also combine password management in their functions. Bid goodbye to the hassle of individually signing into every account with a unique password. You can store all of your unique passwords and sign in to any of your accounts using a single master password. 

What to look for in a good password generator

You can get a range of features with your password generator to improve your data security. Here are some useful characteristics to look for in a good password generator: 

• Customization. Certain websites or apps might have a fixed length or degree of complexity for acceptable passwords. The password generator you use should let you customize the various elements of your password so you can tailor a randomly generated password to fit these needs.  
• Password storage and management. A great way to keep your randomly generated passwords is to store them within your password generator, locally or on the cloud. This makes accessing your passwords easy if you forget or need to update your old passwords. Usually, a good password generator will have a master password for you to sign in with so you can access all of your accounts.  
• Cross-syncing. The more devices and browsers your password manager can support, the easier it will be for you to sign in to all of your accounts using your password manager. It will also be easier to sync any changes in your password manager. McAfee True Key supports PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, along with numerous browsers, making all the data you have on these platforms accessible from one place. 

What is McAfee True Key and how does it work?

McAfee True Key can help you generate strong passwords while also serving as a place to store all of your unique passwords. True Key protects your passwords by scrambling them using AES-256, one of the strongest encryption algorithms available. With factors of your choosing, only you can decrypt and access your sensitive information on True Key by signing in using a single master password. 

Access all of your data on True Key by signing in using your secure master password. Every time you sign in to your True Key account, your identity will be verified using at least two factors of your choosing. You can customize your profile by adding more sign-in factors; the more you add, the more secure your information. 

True Key is supported by iOS, Android, Mac, and PC devices, meaning you can sign in from any of these operating systems. You also get local data encryption and cross-device syncing across all of these devices. Supported browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. McAfee respects your privacy, which means your passwords are not accessible to anyone but you. Your data will never be sold or shared with any third parties.  

Download McAfee True Key for free

Your password determines your data security. Data breaches can involve cases of identity theft and financial fraud. Create strong passwords for every account to keep your online data free from financial fraud and malicious intent. You can accomplish this using a strong password generator. Ensure your password generator uses cryptographically secure random variables, so hackers can’t predict your passwords even if they have access to the algorithm used for the generator.  

In addition to creating unique passwords, a password generator also serves as a secure place to store your passwords. Most people assume they are safe when storing passwords in a document on their PC. If a hacker gains access to your device, they can read the document containing all of your sensitive passwords. Prevent this by using a password manager, which requires a master password and two-factor authentication to log in.  

Get these benefits and more completely free when you install McAfee True Key. And to protect yourself even more, consider McAfee+