5 Myths About Passwords You Should Stop Believing
How-To Geek, Wednesday, April 30th, 2025
We've been using computer passwords for decades, yet it seems like no one can agree on how you should pick a password, what it should contain, and if a password is good enough. Let's cut through it.
Phrases Are Inherently Unsafe Passwords
Passphrases, unlike typical passwords, are strings of words rather than random characters.
Because they're composed of words rather than a random string of letters, numbers, and special characters, there is sometimes a misconception that they're more vulnerable to being brute-forced, especially if hackers are using a dictionary attack. However, that isn't really the case. As long as you pick your passphrase carefully, a 4-word passphrase could have hundreds of quadrillions of possible combinations and take millions or billions of years to crack.