Most people hate signing up on a new website because that means remembering another password.
There are many ways to get around that, and one is to use a master password.
You will learn how to create a master password today. We will also focus on using a master password generator.
Is a password generator tool safe to generate a master password?
Yes. This tool produces a password or passphrase that’s unique and random. No one can easily guess it, and it’s not used anywhere else.
Then, you only have to remember that specific phrase to get into your password manager.
Let’s learn more about this topic!
What Is A Master Password?
A master password is what you create for your password manager app. You only have to remember one passphrase and can access the login credentials of your other websites, regardless of the device you use.
Generally, you create a master password using a secure password generator before you use a password manager tool.
Some password managers allow you to use Touch ID or fingerprints on a mobile device to sign in.
However, that’s not always available, so it’s best to learn how to create a master password before you need it.
What Should a Master Password Look Like?
Most security experts have specific systems in place for creating their master passwords. These simple guidelines can help you make up your own:
- Choose a long phrase or term.
- It should be 14 or more characters long.
- The master password should be random so that no one can guess it.
- Make sure you don’t use something people could easily guess.
Many people like to create passwords out of common phrases they remember, such as a song lyric. Do not use any of the examples listed below because they are well-known. You saw this article on the internet, and hackers can, too!
Consider this.
On a dark desert highway/cool wind in my hair. It’s a popular song lyric, but you should choose one that is individual to your preferences to make it more secure.
Let’s take the last letters of the lyric to get: naktyldnyr. It’s not really long enough to be a master password, so you can add “1970s” because that is when the Eagles were popular, so it becomes “naktyldnyr1970s.”
If you type or paste that into Password Hero, a secure password generator, you see it’s only at medium strength. Therefore, instead of the “l” in the middle, you could add an exclamation point (!). That doesn’t make a difference, though.
Clearly, you can see that it’s hard to create a master password yourself. Therefore, it’s best to work with Password Hero because it does the hard work for you.
How To Generate A Strong Master Password
The most common thing for people to do is to think of a favorite song lyric, phrase, or group of words. There are countless opportunities to turn them into master passwords, but you’re often told not to use anything that relates to you.
You have probably shared your top songs or liked them on YouTube. Hackers can get that information and use it to crack your password.
Instead, it’s best to use a secure password generator like Password Hero. Tap the “passphrase” area to input your requirements (types of characters and number of words). You can even write your own passwords with it and check the strength.
Most people simply set the word length to four or five and let Password Hero do its job. You end up getting something that’s random enough to be impossible to guess.
If you’re set on having a specific word in the passphrase, you can change one of them provided by Password Hero, as well. Then, copy it and paste it into your password manager password area.
Master Password Requirements
Cybersecurity experts claim that your master password should be a random string of symbols, letters, and numbers.
They say it should be eight characters long and never include easily recognizable names, dates, and words. However, that might not be good enough anymore.
It’s now becoming popular to use a passphrase with at least four random words and other characters thrown in to thwart cybercriminals. Randomness is crucial, so you don’t really want to utilize a well-known phrase.
Here’s an example: “willy nilly silly old bear.” If you watched Winnie-the-Pooh as a child, you’ve likely heard this in the theme song.
While you can change it around, using exclamation points for the “i’s,” “@” signs for the “a,” and others, it might not be ideal. Plus, if you’re a Pooh Bear fan, others might guess your passphrase more easily.
The most important requirement here is uniqueness. You can’t reuse a password from any service, app, or website. They shouldn’t even be similar. If one of them were compromised, cybercriminals could get the key to your digital world.
Tips To Create A Strong Master Password
There are plenty of password guidelines out there, and they all pretty much tell you to:
- Use lowercase and uppercase letters
- Use symbols
- Use numbers
- Have at least eight characters
- Don’t use dictionary words
- Don’t use the exact same password more than once
- Never include personal information
This is very good advice, but it could still produce a weak password. Overall, “Passw0rd123!” meets the criteria above, but it’s just a variation of the traditional “Password123,” so it’s easy to crack.
In fact, it’s been in multiple data breaches, so hackers are well aware of it.
Strong master passwords must be unique, and you never use them or a variation for other apps or accounts.
Generally, the best thing to do here is to use a passphrase. This is a sequence of random characters strung together to build a password.
However, it’s often longer and has 20 to 30 characters. When you use a combination of characters, words, and numbers that you understand, it’s easy to remember and harder to crack.
Please don’t use the examples shown below:
- soexcitedtoStartCollege!thisfall
- myvacation2paris-wasincredible
- mydogfido’sbirthdayisnovember19
These all showed a “medium” level of protection against hackers on Password Hero.
It’s often best to let the app produce a passphrase that’s completely unique and strong. However, you might worry about remembering it.
Play around with the system to see what works for you!
How To Pick A Secure Master Password Generator
When choosing a secure password generator for your master password, it’s best to find one that:
- Uses HTTPS for more security
- Lets you choose between passphrases and passwords
- Offers many customization options (symbols, numbers, number of characters/words, etc.)
- Is compatible with various platforms
We recommend Password Hero. We created it with security in mind. It always generates unique passwords that will protect you online.
Are Generated Master Passwords Safe?
Generally, yes, generated master passwords are safe as long as they are long enough, full of different characters, and completely random.
However, some devices just aren’t secure enough. Hackers might infect your computer or device with malware, so when you type in your master password, it’s recorded, and the cybercriminals gain access to all of your data.
Is a password generator safe to use?
Yes. However, you shouldn’t only focus on protecting your passwords from hackers. You also have to utilize anti-virus/anti-malware software, and a VPN could also be beneficial.
Conclusion
Do you want to protect your information and don’t like to remember countless passwords? It might be wise to use a password manager and create a master password.
You learned how to create a master password by using a secure password generator. Password Hero has you covered, whether you prefer words or phrases. Try it today!
