What is a Strong Password? (in Plain English)
Alright, let’s settle this once and for all. A strong password isn’t just a longer version of your dog’s name or the year you lost your virginity followed by an exclamation mark. A strong password is one that can’t be guessed, cracked, or reused into oblivion. It’s your frontline defence — your digital lock — and sadly, most people are walking around with cardboard keys.
Let’s break it down like this:
A password needs to be long, random, and unique. That’s the holy trinity of good passwords. We’re talking 12 characters or more, not based on real words, and not reused across every bloody site you’ve ever logged into.
Here’s the problem: humans are terrible at remembering random nonsense. That’s why people use things like Tony1976, LiverpoolFC!, or worse, Password123. And hackers know this. They run massive dictionaries of common words, names, and number combos to crack weak passwords in seconds.
So what works?
• Length > Complexity: A 15-character simple password (like a passphrase) is harder to crack than an 8-character mess of symbols.
• No personal info: Your name, birthday, postcode, or partner’s nickname? Toss them out.
• Avoid patterns: “Qwerty123!” or “LetMeIn!” — if it feels clever, it probably isn’t.
• Use passphrases: Think four or five random words strung together, like ToffeeCactusWigglePanther.
If you’re sitting there thinking, “Yeah, but I use loads of sites. How am I supposed to remember 50 random passwords?” — don’t worry, that’s what password managers are for (we’ll cover that next). But the takeaway for now? Your passwords need to stop being predictable nonsense.
Key Concepts
• Strong passwords are longer than 12 characters.
• The best ones are random and unique for every account.
• Personal information = bad idea.
• Passphrases are more secure and easier to remember.
• Don’t reuse passwords — if one site is hacked, they all go down with it.
Real-World Relevance
Here’s a stat for you: In 2024, over 80% of data breaches involved weak, reused, or stolen passwords. That’s not just people forgetting to log out — that’s full-blown account takeovers, identity theft, and people getting locked out of their bank accounts while hackers go shopping on Amazon with their details.
One reused password, one dodgy site breach, and boom — the hacker’s got a golden ticket to your digital life.
You wouldn’t use the same key for your house, your car, and your nan’s biscuit tin. So why do it online?
Final Thought
Strong passwords aren’t about paranoia — they’re about not handing over the keys to your digital world on a silver platter. Think of them as digital seatbelts: a bit annoying at first, but you’d be daft not to use them. And once you start using a password manager (next lesson), this stuff becomes second nature.
Click “Complete” before moving on.