Create Truly Secure Passwords

Looking to create a strong password online or generate a secure password for free to protect your accounts? In 2024, data breaches exposed more than 22 billion records. The main cause? Weak or reused passwords. A simple “123456” can be cracked in less than a second, while a 16-character password with symbols would resist for thousands of years.

The security of your accounts begins with strong passwords. But how do you create a complex yet memorable password? How do you know if your current password is strong enough? And what are the best practices recommended by cybersecurity experts?

Our password generator creates cryptographically secure passwords directly in your browser, without ever sending them to our servers. In this comprehensive guide, discover how to check password strength and adopt the best security practices.

Why Weak Passwords Are Dangerous

Modern Attack Techniques

1. Dictionary Attack

Hackers test millions of common words and combinations:

• Dictionary words
• Proper names
• Popular combinations (password123, admin2024)

2. Brute Force Attack

Systematic testing of all possible combinations:

3. Credential Stuffing

Reusing email/password pairs from data breaches. If you use the same password everywhere, a single breach compromises all your accounts.

4. Phishing and Social Engineering

Manipulation to make you reveal your credentials. A strong password doesn’t protect against this, but two-factor authentication does.

The Most Used (and Hacked) Passwords

Absolutely avoid:

1. 123456
2. password
3. 123456789
4. qwerty
5. 12345678
6. 111111
7. abc123
8. azerty
9. admin
10. letmein

If your password resembles any of these, change it immediately!

Characteristics of a Strong Password

1. Length: Minimum 16 Characters

This is the most important factor. Each additional character exponentially multiplies the number of possible combinations.

8 characters  = 218,340,105,584,896 combinations
12 characters = 475,920,314,814,253,376,512 combinations
16 characters = 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 combinations

Our password generator allows you to configure the length up to 128 characters.

2. Complexity: Mix of Character Types

A good password combines:

• Uppercase letters (A-Z)
• Lowercase letters (a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Symbols (!@#$%^&*)

3. Uniqueness: One Password per Account

Absolute rule: Never reuse a password. If a service is compromised, only that account is affected.

4. Random: No Recognizable Patterns

Avoid:

• Dictionary words (French, English, slang)
• Personal information (name, date of birth, city)
• Predictable sequences (123, abc, qwerty)
• Obvious substitutions (p@ssw0rd, h3ll0)

Methods for Creating Passwords

Method 1: Random Generator (Recommended)

The safest method. Our generator uses crypto.getRandomValues(), a cryptographically secure API.

Generated example: K#9mLp$xR2nQ@7vF

Method 2: Passphrase

A sequence of random words, easier to remember:

correct-horse-battery-staple

To strengthen: add capitals, numbers and symbols:

Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple-42!

Method 3: Modified Memorable Phrase

Take a phrase you know:

“I bought 3 croissants this morning at the bakery!”

Transform it:

Ib3Ctm@Tb!

Problem: harder to remember than a random password stored in a manager.

Password Managers

Why Use Them?

A password manager allows you to:

• Store: Hundreds of unique and complex passwords
• Generate: Random passwords on the fly
• Fill: Login forms automatically
• Synchronize: Across all your devices
• Alert: When data breaches are detected

Recommended Managers

The Master Password

Your manager is protected by a master password. It’s the only one you need to remember. Make it:

• Very long (20+ characters)
• Unique (never used elsewhere)
• Memorable (passphrase recommended)

Example master passphrase:

My-First-Bike-Was-Blue-42!

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

A strong password is not always enough. Enable 2FA wherever possible.

Types of 2FA

2FA Priority

Enable 2FA as a priority on:

1. Primary email (recovery key for everything)
2. Bank accounts
3. Social networks
4. Cloud services (Google, Apple, Microsoft)

What to Do in Case of a Breach?

1. Check if You’re Affected

Use Have I Been Pwned to check if your email appears in known breaches.

2. Change the Password Immediately

And all accounts where you used the same one (another reason to never reuse!).

3. Enable 2FA

If not already done.

4. Monitor Activity

Check recent logins on your sensitive accounts.

Secure Password Storage (Developers)

If you’re developing an application that stores passwords:

NEVER Do This

// DANGER: Password in clear text
database.save({ password: userPassword });

// DANGER: Simple hash without salt
const hash = sha256(userPassword);

Do This

Use bcrypt or Argon2 with a unique salt:

const bcrypt = require('bcrypt');

// Hashing
const hash = await bcrypt.hash(password, 12);

// Verification
const match = await bcrypt.compare(password, hash);

To understand the difference between hashing and encoding, consult our article on Base64 security.

Checking Password Strength

Our password generator includes a strength indicator. But here are the criteria:

Complementary Tools

To strengthen your security:

• Password generator: Create cryptographically secure passwords
• Hash generator: Understand password hashing
• Base64 encoder: Warning, Base64 is NOT encryption!
• UUID generator: Unique identifiers for your applications

Conclusion

The security of your accounts depends on three pillars:

1. Strong and unique passwords: Use our generator
2. Password manager: To store everything securely
3. Two-factor authentication: Enabled everywhere

Don’t take risks with your data. Generate strong passwords now with our password generator!