---
title: Complex Password Guide
description: Password Security for Small and Medium-sized Businesses.
image: https://blog.intinc.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_185569899.jpeg
---

![](https://blog.intinc.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_185569899.jpeg)

# Complex Password Guide

 Published by [ Holden Metz ](https://blog.intinc.com/author/holden-metz) on  Oct 18, 2021 12:24:41 PM

We wanted to provide some helpful best practices for keeping your passwords strong and secure as provided by our partners and security awareness experts, KnowBe4.  

Tips for Password Security:

- Keep your passwords private – never share a password with anyone else.
- Do not write down your passwords.
- Use passwords of at least eight (8) characters or more (longer is better).
- Use a combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers,  
  and special characters (for example: !, @, &, %, +) in all passwords.
- Avoid using people’s or pet’s names, or words found in the dictionary;  
  it’s also best to avoid using key dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
- Substituting look-alike characters for letters or numbers is no longer  
  sufficient (for example, Password” and “P@ssw0rd”).
- A strong password should look like a series of random characters.

How to Create a Strong and Complex Password (Follow These Steps):

1. Think of a phrase or sentence with at least eight words. It should be something easy for you to remember but hard for someone who knows you to guess. It could be a line from a favorite poem, story, movie, song, lyric, or quotation you like.  
     - **Example -** I Want To Put A Dent In The Universe.
2. Remove all but the first letter of each word in your phrase. 
     - **Example -** IWTPADITU
3. Replace several of the upper-case letters with lower-case ones, at random.  
     - **Example -** iWtpADitU
4. Now substitute a number for at least one of the letters. 
     - Example - iWtpAD1tU (Here, we’ve changed the capital “I” to the numeral 1).
5. Finally, use special characters ( $, &, +, !, @) to replace a letter or two -- preferably a letter that is repeated in the phrase. You can also add an extra character to the mix. (Here, we’ve replaced the “t” with “+”, and added an exclamation point at the end.) 
     - **Example -** iW+pAD1tU!
     - Pro Tip - Don't use the password listed here as your password!

If you are looking for help with either security awareness training or password management for your team - please reach out to INT - we would love to help! 

Tags: [SMB](https://blog.intinc.com/tag/smb), [Cybersecurity](https://blog.intinc.com/tag/cybersecurity), [Training](https://blog.intinc.com/tag/training)

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