Secure passwords remain an essential barrier for protecting email, online banking, social media, business accounts and corporate systems. But today a good password is not enough on its own: it should be supported by a password manager, multifactor authentication and habits that prevent reuse.
In this article we will discuss...
What makes a password secure
- Enough length: the longer it is, the harder it is to guess or crack.
- Unique for each service: reusing the same password multiplies the risk if one website suffers a breach.
- No personal data: avoid names, dates, ID numbers, pets, company names or words related to you.
- Hard to predict: do not use sequences such as 123456, qwerty, service names or obvious substitutions such as replacing “a” with “@”.
- Managed securely: a password manager helps create long, unique passwords without memorising all of them.
Six basic tips to protect your passwords
- Use a different password for every important account.
- Enable multifactor authentication whenever it is available.
- Use a trusted password manager to generate and store strong passwords.
- Change default passwords on routers, cameras, applications and administration panels.
- Do not share passwords by email, messaging apps or unprotected documents.
- If you suspect an account has been compromised, change the password from the official website and review active sessions.
Passwords in companies
In a company, password policy should be practical. Forcing constant password changes without a reason can lead to weaker passwords or unsafe notes. It is better to combine unique passwords, blocking of known compromised credentials, multifactor authentication, access control and training.
Administrator accounts, email, cloud tools, CRM systems, web panels and services containing personal data require stronger protection. One reused password can be enough to cause a data breach.
What about passkeys?
When a service offers passkeys, they are worth considering. They are a modern alternative that reduces common password risks, especially phishing and reuse. Even so, traditional passwords will coexist with passkeys for some time, so basic password hygiene remains necessary.
Recommended official sources
- INCIBE: how to create secure passwords.
- NCSC: password administration for organisations.
- CISA: multifactor authentication.
Conclusion
The perfect password is not the one you can remember for every service, but the one that is unique, long, protected and supported by a second factor. In data protection, managing credentials properly is a simple measure that prevents very costly incidents.