In this post, we\u2019re going to talk briefly about why strong credentials matter when it comes to your website\u2019s admin account. Then we\u2019ll help you make some smart choices, so you’ll never have to ask \u201cHow secure is my password?\u201d again. Let\u2019s take a look!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Asking “How secure is my password and username?” is more important than ever<\/h2>\n
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Being careful about how you log into<\/a> your accounts is more important than ever. For example, one report recently found that 80% of data breaches<\/a> online are a result of weak or stolen passwords, and other studies have returned similar results. What\u2019s more, the majority of people use passwords that are weak or easily hacked.<\/p>\n Whether it’s your social media profiles, your online banking accounts, or your WordPress admin account, using strong credentials matters. Not taking care in this area<\/a> can result in:<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re running a booming e-commerce site<\/a> or a small personal blog<\/a>, keeping it safe is vital. Fortunately, doing that is simple.<\/p>\n If all this is leading you to wonder: \u201cHow secure is<\/em> my password and username?\u201d, don\u2019t worry. In the next two sections, we\u2019ll walk you through how to make secure choices.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that if you already have an admin account set up, you can easily change your username<\/a> and select a new password<\/a>. Plus, much of the following advice applies just as well to your other accounts across the web.<\/p>\n When the topic of secure credentials comes up, you probably think more about your password than your username. We\u2019ll be the first to admit that your username isn\u2019t quite<\/em> as important when it comes to security \u2013 after all, it\u2019s your password\u2019s job to lock up your account.<\/p>\n However, your username is another credential that people will need<\/a> in order to access your site. By choosing it carefully, you can make it harder for hackers and spammers to force their way in. This means ensuring that your username is unique and difficult to guess.<\/p>\n For example, “admin” is a popular username for WordPress sites, which makes it easy for malicious actors to guess. For the same reason, you should avoid personal details like your name or email address.<\/p>\n At the same time, you don\u2019t want to make your username too obscure. You won\u2019t want to risk losing it, as it\u2019s your primary way to retrieve your password. Forgetting both your username and password can make it hard to access your site.<\/p>\n Here are a few recommendations for choosing a secure username:<\/p>\n It might have already occurred to you that this process may not result in a username that\u2019s well suited to being displayed on your site. For instance, if you\u2019re trying to run a business website, you might want posts made by your admin account to show your real name, rather than something like \u201ccatlover88\u201d.<\/p>\n Fortunately, in WordPress you can set your \u2018display name\u2019 to be whatever you like:<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the process for changing your display name is simple. You\u2019re therefore free to pick a username that\u2019s simple, memorable, and secure, without worrying about how it will appear to others.<\/p>\n And if you’re really concerned about privacy, you can also use the Edit Author Slug plugin<\/a> to hide your username from the author archive page that WordPress creates.<\/p>\n Have you ever wondered: “How secure is my password?” The mantra to choose secure passwords for all your online accounts is so common, it might as well be labeled a clich\u00e9. Still, you might be surprised at the number of people who don\u2019t follow that advice. For example, the most common password<\/a> in 2017 was \u201c123456\u201d, followed by \u201cpassword\u201d.<\/p>\n Using secure passwords has only become more important<\/a> over time, as we\u2019ve trusted more of our personal and financial data to various sites and applications. However, it\u2019s also become more difficult to create strong passwords. It seems like hackers are always one step ahead, developing better algorithms faster than we can tighten up our credentials.<\/p>\n To start choosing better passwords, the main thing you need to understand is that in almost all cases, there won\u2019t be a human hacker sitting on your login screen<\/a> trying out possibilities one at a time. Instead, sophisticated bots<\/a> are able to try multiple combinations per second, running quickly through all possible options until they achieve success (this is why limiting login attempts<\/a> is a common security approach).<\/p>\n Creating a strong password relies on putting something together that’s difficult for those bots to crack. If your password is obscure enough, the bot will eventually give up and move on to find an easier target. There are a number of methods for doing this, but let\u2019s touch on two of the most effective.<\/p>\n The first method is probably one you\u2019re familiar with. It involves creating a password by stringing together random numbers, letters, and special characters. Such passwords can be quite secure, especially when they follow these guidelines:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a WordPress user, this is your primary method of generating a strong password<\/a>. In fact, you can accomplish it right through your dashboard<\/a>. However, you can also use external password generators to do the same thing:<\/p>\n The primary downside to these kinds of passwords is that they\u2019re very difficult to memorize. In fact, there\u2019s a whole industry of tools that will store your passwords<\/a> for you. In addition, the \u2018random\u2019 approach may not actually be the most secure way to generate a password.<\/p>\n Another option that\u2019s becoming more popular might be termed the \u2018multi-word\u2019 approach. This involves creating passwords that are strings of random words joined together, such as \u201cllama bottle cheese granite\u201d. There\u2019s a lot of research to support that these \u2018pass phrases\u2019 are very secure<\/a> \u2013 even when compared to truly random passwords. What\u2019s more, they’re a lot easier to remember, since you can form your own associations<\/a> between the words.<\/p>\n This popular XKCD cartoon illustrates the multi-word approach<\/p><\/div>\n If you decide to opt for this type of password, keep these guidelines in mind:<\/p>\n Finally, no matter what style of password you use, it’s important that you use a different one for each account. As such, make sure the password for your WordPress admin account isn\u2019t one you use anywhere else. Plus, you should have it backed up<\/a> somewhere safe, and change it periodically. While it may be a bit of a hassle, these precautions are important for protecting your data and that of your visitors, as well as avoiding the need to ask: “How secure is my password?”<\/p>\n There are a lot of ways to keep your website secure<\/a>, and you\u2019ll want to employ as many of them as possible. However, your admin account credentials are your first line of defense against all sorts of attacks. Making it as hard as possible for anyone to access your account is an absolute necessity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n In this post, we\u2019ve discussed how to avoid having to ask the question: \u201cHow secure is my password and username?\u201d All it takes are two steps:<\/p>\n Do you have any questions about how else you can keep your WordPress website safe<\/a>? Ask us anything in the comments section below!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n
How to choose a secure username and password for your admin account<\/h2>\n
Part 1: Your username matters, too (how to pick a strong one)<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nPart 2: How do you pick a secure password?<\/h3>\n
Hackers try to guess your password (a lot)<\/h3>\n
The “random” characters password method<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nThe “multi-word” password method<\/h3>\n
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Use different passwords for different accounts<\/h3>\n
Now you know the answer to “how secure is my password?”<\/h2>\n
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