6 Ways You Can Create The Perfect Password.

 We rounded up some of the most useful tips for creating and keeping track of your passwords, to better protect your personal information online:

1. Avoid the obvious (just like this tip)

Believe it or not, passwords like "123456" and "password" are still the most used. Don't. Do. This. Hackers can use a simple dictionary attack, where programs create and enter dictionary word and number combinations, to easily get into your accounts.

2. Turn phrases into codes

As HuffPost blogger and online security expert Robert Siciliano recently explained, a good way to pick a password you won't forget is to convert a phrase about yourself into an acronym. For example, you should turn a sentence like “My college roommate was from a dairy farm in Wisconsin” into “McrwfadfiWI.”

You don't have to try pronouncing them.

3. Mix up letters and numbers

Sites will often tell you to use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols, but that doesn’t matter if you’re still using obvious words and numbers like "Password1234!" Instead, try making letters into numbers, or adding numbers in the middle of an acronym password. So to make the example password from tip 2 even better, we'd change "McrwfadfiWI" to “Mcr1444wfadfiWI.”

4. Use 12 characters or more

Any password is crackable, but longer ones are harder to figure out. Sure, there are 645 trillion possible combinations for an eight-character password. But that number jumps exponentially each time you add a letter. According to researchers at Georgia Tech, it could take 17,134 years to crack a 12-character password.

5. Don’t reuse or recycle

If you've got the same password for all your logins, one breech can endanger every account you have. Make sure to change your passwords periodically, and avoid just going back and forth between a handful.

Leaks happen, so don't make it easy.

6. Stay logged off

While it’s convenient to store your passwords in your browser on your computer and smartphone, that’s the easiest way for someone to get quick access to accounts and data if your device is stolen or compromised. Just uncheck the "remember me" option and take the few seconds to type in your password.

The time you spend retyping will be less stressful than being hacked.