What Makes a Password Secure?

Two things matter: length and randomness. A 12+ character password mixing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols would take longer to brute-force than you'll be alive. Skip birthdays, pet names, and "123456" — attackers try those first. Use a different password for every account, and pair it with a password manager so you only need to remember one.

Password Length vs. Crack Time

Length	Numbers Only	Mixed Characters
8 chars	Instant	Hours
12 chars	Minutes	Centuries
16 chars	Days	Billions of years