Hot take: That guy at the coffee shop fixed my password problem in 2 minutes

I was at a local roastery last Tuesday, fumbling with my phone trying to log into my bank account after I forgot my password again. This older guy next to me just said "use a passphrase, not a password" and walked me through it. He showed me how to pick five random words like "purple goat spoon river lamp" and now I remember everything easy. It took less than a minute and I haven't locked myself out since. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you stick with something different?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin3651mo ago

Yeah that "use a passphrase" tip changed my life too. I was always resetting my passwords until a buddy told me to pick four random words like "blue truck pizza window." Now I never forget and it's way more secure than my old pattern of "Password1". You tried adding a number or symbol to the end of those five words?

ross.lily1mo ago

A coworker tried that trick and got locked out for a week because they couldn't remember which word came second.

aaron7401mo ago

Honestly I read a thing about password managers not long ago that backed up what you're saying. The math behind random word combos is wild, it's way harder for bots to crack than a short jumble of letters and symbols. Adding a number or symbol at the end just makes it even stronger without making it any harder to remember. I always tack on like "1!" at the end of mine just to be safe.