Passwords

Making a strong password

Current national guidance is to use 3 random words or alternatively use a passphrase. Your passwords should be made up of both upper and lower case letters, alpha and numeric characters and digits and punctuation e.g. @ : } { ) ( " ! ?

The use of a password based on a single dictionary word is no longer advised, nor is simply adding numbers or symbols such as 1’s and 0’s or a ‘!’.

Some examples of strong passwords based on three random words include:

• SouthLakeHeat becomes $0uthLak3H3@t
• BeerChocolateDoor becomes B33rCh0co1ateD00r
• ParkWindowBottle becomes "ParkWindowB0ttl3"
• KiteAppleRemote becomes !K1t3Appl3R3m0t3!
• CarBinMonth becomes CaRB!nM0ntH$1

Examples of strong passwords based on a phrase include:

• Prefer2Lie becomes (Pr3f3R2L!E$)
• ILikeCocaCola becomes (1Lik3Coc@c07A)
• CatsAlwaysSleep becomes (C@t$a7wAyzSl3ep)

For further guidance please visit the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Aware site.