Strong Passwords for QuickBooks and Online Banking

Having a strong password is a must, but one problem with creating them is that they can be difficult to remember. Here are some tips to help you create the best passwords that are also easy to remember.

And that's the key: they must be difficult to crack, but easy for you to recall.

In English, sounds can often be spelled many different ways. Let's take the long A sound, as in ate. It can be spelled like this:

a - as it ate
ai - as in sail
ay - as in play
ey - as in they

Even consonants can be spelled. Take the consonant C. It can be spelled like this:

see
sea
ce
cee
cei

Think about other letters too. Any letter can be spelled phonetically.

Incorporate this concept to make a strong password. For example, let's say your initials are SRF. We can spell it like this:

EhsArEf

Let's say you were born in 1956. We'll add the last two digits to the password:

Ehs5Ar6Ef

Go to Cornell University's password checker. Copy and paste the password above into the box to see how it rates.

Next, type in the password you normally use in QuickBooks or for online banking.

What does the password checker have to say about these two passwords? Which password is better?

Here is a list of symbols and some suggested uses.

! excitement, strong emotion
@ the letter A, the word “at”
# number, pound, tic-tac-toe
$ money, value, the letter S
% a part of something
^ raised eyebrow, upside down V
& the word “and”, this and that, twins
( the letter c, the moon
) the moon; anything lunar or crazy
* sunny, bright, starry
+ adding one thing to another
= balance, equanimity, this is the same as that
< this is less than that, this is younger than that
> this is greater than that, this is older than that
? unknown, variable, questionable
~ water, wind

Get creative! Here some examples using the phonics idea and the symbol idea together to create strong passwords.

• Your 1st born daughter’s initials are JLM
• She was born in 1987
• She has a sunny and bright disposition

Potential password: *1stJ87lm

• You are a twin
• Your initials are ABO
• Your twin’s initials are STO
• The last two digits of your Social Security Number are 58

Potential password: Abo58&Sto

• Your oldest child’s initials are MWP
• Your next oldest child’s initials are SEP
• They were born in 1981 and 1983, respectively

Potential password: Mwp81>83Sep

• Don't choose a word that can be found in a dictionary.
• Use both upper and lower case letters.
• Use at least one number.
• Do not begin or end the password with a number.
• Make the password at least eight characters.
• Use a symbol.
• Strong passwords should be easy to type - practice your new password in your word processor; get it to flow smoothly off your fingers.

To Your Success and Happiness...



Strong Passwords for QuickBooks - Need More Help? Contact Jennifer