You can create random generated passwords in two ways: with a computer or by hand. In this article learn how to generate strong, random passwords manually yourself.
When you use a computer - for example a password manager - to generate a strong password, it will create a random-generated password that is unreadable and looks like gibberish.
Such passwords are painful just to look at, and memorizing them is impossible. But that's okay because the password manager memorizes them for you. It is one of its best features.
Here is an example of a strong random-generated password 20 characters in length:
":3pRZ`8ygN2@A8aL|zdB"
Note: The password shown above is for education only. Do not use it because it is on the Internet and anyone can see it.
Using all the different character sets (lower and upper case
alphabet, numbers and special characters) in random sequence and 20
characters in length makes such a password very strong.
It is unlikely that this password will be guessed or broken by brute force password-cracking software in any reasonable amount of time (thousands of years).
You may want to try to create such random-generated passwords
yourself, without a computer. The thing is, you are not a computer, and don't know
how to generate passwords this way as well as the computer does.
The real problem with generating your own random passwords is that password generation is more complex than it seems. Computers, when it comes to acting as random password generators, know how to generate secure and strong passwords. They specialize in it and can generate a new, different, unique and unbreakable password every single time.
You, on the other hand..cannot.
You should avoid generating random passwords manually yourself.
But why not create passwords this way?
Because it is too risky and not worth it. Computers know the rules that generate strong passwords. Security experts spend a lot of time researching random password generation and learning how to create a random sequence of characters in a password that will take a very long time to break.
They use this knowledge to come up with password-generation rules. Those rules are then programmed into a password generator.
Everything changes from time to time, and so does the password
security and password generation technology. When new
information is discovered and new password-generation rules are
available, password generators get updated.
It is not something you should have to worry about.
It turns out that creating something in a random way is not
very easy. Even password generators don't create true random passwords.
But they are much closer to it than you can ever be.
Randomness has to do with math and where you start. You need a source
that generates random characters. But where do you find such a source?
You cannot find a natural source of random characters. So you have to create one. And as soon as you create one, it is not truly random - because you created it.
Computer scientists and security experts constantly look for new
sources of randomness. Some are better than others, so some software is
better than other software at creating random generated passwords.
If a computer is having a hard time with this, what chance do we have?
On top of not knowing the rules and not having any decent sources of randomness, we humans have biases.
Our thoughts, feelings, knowledge and experience work against us
here. We may overthink password security and generate passwords that are
actually weaker than they appear.
How would you go about creating a random password anyway? Bang on the
keyboard? Sure, but your passwords will have a pattern. Keyboard
layouts are mostly similar, and humans bang on things in similar ways.
Creating random generated passwords is hard. Just the fact that you have to think about how to
generate a random password of the same strength as a computer means you
shouldn't be doing it. And how will you know that your password is
strong enough?
It is best to avoid using this method to create random generated passwords. It is challenging to use, doesn't guarantee
a strong password, and if you manage to create one, you will not be
able to remember it.
On the other hand, a password generator can consistently create strong passwords, which is why it exists and why you should let it worry about that. You should instead focus on having a different password on every website.
By using a password manager, your computer, web accounts and personal information and data will be much more secure. And your brain will thank you for not torturing it with making it remember pointless information like passwords.