Working with Adults to Create Strong Passwords

So…16+ characters, varied, with no real words. Simple, huh? Okay, maybe not at first glance, but here is a possible way to approach it with adults.

• Discuss with the person you are helping how they are currently using passwords or passphrases. Do not ask them for their passwords.
• Use the site above to see how long it would take them to crack their password: https://www.security.org/how-secure-is-my-password/

Start by asking them to enter in the following passwords:

• The word "Password"
• "123456"
• "Changeme"
• What did you find?
• Now have them enter their password
• Does it need to be more secure? What do they need to do to make it more secure? Discuss using the password generator on a web browser or even password-manager software if that is approved by your team. The software you use should be able to generate secure, lengthy passphrases incorporating random characters.
• If that is not something they want to use, help them understand how to create safe passphrases and go over some of the skills you learned above.
• If they feel they truly must write their password(s) down, help them understand how to keep it in a secure place. Do they have access to a lockbox, safe, or safety deposit box? Do you want to create a digital password document for them so they can have one place to enter all their information?