Another very successful strategy I’ve used for over a decade now: build off a technical expression related to your work, so it’s second nature for you but obscure for others.
In my case, I’m a pharmacist who spent some years working in research. Before drugs have a trade name, and sometimes even before they have a designated generic name, they have a chemical entity “alias” assigned by the manufacturer. The drugs’ aliases became as common in my head as their generic names, sometimes more so.
For example, we did some studies with what AstraZeneca called TCV116… later to be called candesartan, and then, when ready for the public, given the pretty and market-friendly trade name “Atacand”.
I have trouble with things like “red” and “dog” … I’ll forget which order I put them in, whether I reversed the spelling, etc. But I’ll always know TCV116, and if a forgotten password had 7 digits, it was likely TCV116a, TCV116b, etc.
For really important sites, I’d combine two aliases. TCV116 plus YM044, for example. Very strong password. If (when) I forget the password, I can usually guess by the number of digits which combo I used. The actual passwords are written nowhere, and the terms are cryptic enough that they’re virtually impossible for others to guess.
Just a few of these terms can be combined into tens of memorable (for the user), yet very secure passwords.
I’m sure most everyone uses some type of jargon in their work which would provide great password fodder, easily remembered for them and very difficult for anyone else to figure out.
I’m typing this while looking at my ViewSonic VA912b monitor, by the way ;)
Not a bad technique. Like most people, I stick with the same one or two passwords. Might be worth changing it up at this point.
Another very successful strategy I’ve used for over a decade now: build off a technical expression related to your work, so it’s second nature for you but obscure for others.
In my case, I’m a pharmacist who spent some years working in research. Before drugs have a trade name, and sometimes even before they have a designated generic name, they have a chemical entity “alias” assigned by the manufacturer. The drugs’ aliases became as common in my head as their generic names, sometimes more so.
For example, we did some studies with what AstraZeneca called TCV116… later to be called candesartan, and then, when ready for the public, given the pretty and market-friendly trade name “Atacand”.
I have trouble with things like “red” and “dog” … I’ll forget which order I put them in, whether I reversed the spelling, etc. But I’ll always know TCV116, and if a forgotten password had 7 digits, it was likely TCV116a, TCV116b, etc.
For really important sites, I’d combine two aliases. TCV116 plus YM044, for example. Very strong password. If (when) I forget the password, I can usually guess by the number of digits which combo I used. The actual passwords are written nowhere, and the terms are cryptic enough that they’re virtually impossible for others to guess.
Just a few of these terms can be combined into tens of memorable (for the user), yet very secure passwords.
I’m sure most everyone uses some type of jargon in their work which would provide great password fodder, easily remembered for them and very difficult for anyone else to figure out.
I’m typing this while looking at my ViewSonic VA912b monitor, by the way ;)