Are you thinking about creating sets of New passwords or personally upgrading your online security? An old locksmith once informed me, "Locks only keep your friends out." This thought has stuck with me for years, because his point was quite valid. Locks can only out keep your friends and hopefully people who are wandering by. On the web, we have a lot more to worry about because SO MANY people, (hackers) are trying to actively get into the same sites you use everyday. So it is of growing importance that you understand password security and how to implement a strong password, even if you're not a computer wizard. And yes, locks are great, but what if you lose your keys? Or forget your password? Let's put a stop to that.

Changing perspective...

Let's think of security in terms of categories: High-security, Medium-security, and Low-security. High-security sites would be anything of a financial or social security nature: medical records, lawyers, banks, stocks, and financial institutions. Shopping online needs a secure password, but should have a different set of rules for engaging their security. Medium-security sites are sites that lead into the high-security sites but are less frequently used, places like online shopping and again we should use a different set of rules for engaging their security. A Low-security site would be like a gaming site or something that really doesn't matter if someone breaks into it because it doesn't have any financial access, and therefore doesn't have any serious real world value for that particular site. You also have to be thorough, and change all your passwords for sites that you intend to upgrade for your personal security.

STEP A - Make a list of all the sites you want to change, and categorize and sort them. This could be a simple as copying favorites to a folder to be hit in sequence. I like paper cause it feels great to scratch stuff off lists and then burn them. XD

STEP B - Select a new password core. For the following sets, I have selected some PW cores to use, employing keyboard sequencing. Next we add some rules to make them easier to recall later.

Here's the two basic rules that I'm using for these sets:

1. For security add a '.' (period or other symbol) on either end. For higher security add three or more.
2. Capitalize bottom row characters (keys located on the bottom row of the keyboard).

Three examples follow, with descending security for each set. (Longer passwords are WAY harder to guess.)

1. High: ...ZXCpoi000...
   Med: .ZXCpoi000.
   Low: ZXCpoi000
2. H: !!!ZaqXsw2!!!
   M: !ZaqXsw2!
   L: ZaqXsw2
3. H: ...XsCd3...
   M: .XsCd3.
   L: XsCd3

The interesting thing to note here is that each set is built from one set (or core) password and then adding security is as simple as adding some symbols to the outside edges. Higher security requirements = more dots, more !!!, whichever symbol you choose. (Some sites don't allow certain symbols, so check your specific website for acceptable symbols to use in passwords.) This method makes it very easy to remember.

Be sure to make your own rules! This is just a guide. You could capitalize the top or middle row, or just the left half. Your password could have a period or alternating symbols every other letter in your core. Think about what you can remember, and the rules you specified.

STEP C) Lastly, visit all the sites on your list, and make the changes. These are the keys you're using for now, forget your old passwords (as soon as you reset them to the new set). Don't write them down. Don't email them to yourself. Security should always be in your head...

Lastly, the earlier suggestion for handling shopping sites: because shopping sites are such a huge target, I like to pattern the password after their name (or the name of their competitor) shifting up or down or towards the middle one key for each character in their name and don't forget to add some symbols to the outside. Again, this is High-Medium security, so:

Make your own rules, don't be the weak link in your personal security.