10 Common Password Mistakes That Put You at Risk

1. Using Personal Information

Passwords containing your name, birthday, pet's name, or hometown are easy to guess — especially with the amount of information available on social media. Attackers routinely scrape this data to build targeted wordlists.

Fix: Use a random password generator with no connection to personal data.

2. Short Passwords

Any password under 10 characters can be brute-forced in hours or days with modern hardware. An 8-character password has roughly 200 billion possible combinations — powerful computers can check billions of combinations per second.

Fix: Use at least 12 characters; 16+ for important accounts.

3. Password Reuse

When one site gets breached, attackers try those credentials on every other major service — banking, email, social media. This is automated and happens within hours of a breach.

Fix: Use a unique password for every site. A password manager makes this easy.

4. Predictable Substitutions

Replacing letters with numbers (p@ssw0rd, h3ll0) or adding punctuation at the end (password!) are the first patterns attackers try.

Fix: Use truly random characters, not patterns.

5. Dictionary Words

Single or combined dictionary words — even unusual ones — are vulnerable to dictionary attacks that try millions of known words and combinations.

Fix: If using words, use 4+ random words as a passphrase. If not using words, use fully random characters.

6. Storing Passwords Insecurely

Writing passwords on sticky notes, saving them in unencrypted text files, or sharing them over email or chat puts them at risk.

Fix: Use a reputable password manager with strong encryption.

7. Not Using Two-Factor Authentication

Even the strongest password can be stolen through phishing or data breaches. Without 2FA, a stolen password means a compromised account.

Fix: Enable 2FA on all important accounts, preferably with an authenticator app.

8. Ignoring Breach Notifications

Services like Have I Been Pwned alert you when your email appears in a known data breach. Ignoring these means you might be using a password that attackers already have.

Fix: Check haveibeenpwned.com regularly and change passwords that appear in breaches immediately.

9. Using the Same Pattern

Adding a number or capitalizing the first letter to meet requirements (Password1, Password2) creates predictable patterns that automated tools handle easily.

Fix: Let a password generator create truly random passwords.

10. Never Updating Passwords

Old passwords that have been shared, written down, or potentially exposed in old breaches should be rotated periodically.

Fix: Change passwords for critical accounts every 6–12 months, and immediately after any suspected compromise.

Summary

Strong security comes from using long, random, unique passwords for every account — stored in a password manager and protected by two-factor authentication. Our password generator can help you create strong passwords in seconds.