Introduction

You can install security updates to software, apply patches, and use every firewall known to man, but you’re always going to have a big security hole if you don’t use secure passwords. Using unsecure passwords on purpose is like walking around with your fly unzipped (hence the title). It’s not very smart. Below are five ways to generate secure passwords that are also memorable.

All of the types of making secure passwords vary in the security that they offer. It depends on how memorable you want your passwords to be and how much security you want your passwords to offer.

Different types of secure passwords

1) The hash

This type of password looks like it came from an MD5 hash or something. It is difficult to remember, but is very secure.

Example: “2a7f4a3ad97f77″

2) The 1337

Another type of password is normal words converted into 1337 speak.

Example: the world “anachronism” can be converted into “4|\|4(|-|R0|\|15/\/\”. If that password is too tough to type, you could convert the word into “4n4chr0n15m”, which is still pretty tough to crack.

UPDATE: Nowadays, dictionary attacks now try 1337 speak too, so this isn’t the most secure of passwords. Red Hat has some stuff on password security, and I suggest you read it.

3) Word + Symbols

Take a normal word, and just append various symbols to it.

Example: the word “anachronism” into “anachronism?%$”

I wouldn’t recommend this type of password, but if it works best for you, go ahead.

4) The pass-phrase

Stringing five or more words together is a good way to create a memorable password that is tough to crack.

Example: Turn the phrase, “An Anachronism and a Barbarity,” into “AnAnachronismAndABarbarity”

The phrase is a title from a newspaper. You can see it reposted by the Washington Post.

5) Micro pass-phrase

A phrase is taken, and only certain letters from the phrase are used in the password.

Example: Take the phrase

I do not know which to prefer. The beauty of inflections or the beauty of innuendoes.

and turn it into “idnkwtp.tboiotboi.”

BTW: The phrase is from Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

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If you really need some industrial strength passwords to protect something very secure, I suggest that you test it with this password strength checker. It’s the toughest checker that I’ve ever seen. Many passwords on this page have been deemed insecure by that checker, but these passwords are designed to be memorable for the average person.