Knowledge Base

Password tips and tricks

Updated on August 21, 2026

Overview

By the end of this article, you will be able to create a CodeGuard account password that is long, unpredictable, and easy for you to remember. The article first defines what a strong password is, then covers three qualities to aim for: length, which resists brute force attacks; unpredictability, which comes from mixing character types; and memorability, which you can achieve with a passphrase built from random words. It also lists the personal details to leave out of a password and describes how CodeGuard stores your password.

What is a strong password?

A strong password is one that an attacker cannot guess quickly, even with automated tools. Strength comes from two properties: length, meaning the total number of characters, and unpredictability, meaning how difficult the characters are to anticipate. A password that is both long and unpredictable takes far more attempts to break than a short password made of common words or number sequences.

Make your password long

The longer a password is, the harder it is to break. One of the most common password cracking techniques online is a method known as a brute force attack. In a brute force attack, the attacker randomly tries as many different password combinations as possible in a short amount of time, hoping to guess correctly. Automated tools also look for common patterns, so avoid simple sequences such as "abc" or "123" anywhere in your password.

Make your password unpredictable

Variety of characters makes a password unpredictable and much harder to guess. Use uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation marks in the same password. If an attacker knows that a password consists only of lowercase letters, the number of combinations they must try drops significantly. The more character types you use, the more combinations an attacker has to work through.

Make your password memorable

A password only works well if you can recall it without writing it down. A random string such as "kh30.e79JK039" is strong but difficult to remember. Instead, string four random words together to form a passphrase. For example, "billiards hippie pineapple juice" is more than 25 characters long and far easier to recall than a random string. To make a passphrase even stronger, capitalize some of the words or add numbers at the beginning or the end.

What to leave out of your password

Personal details make a password easier to guess, because other people can often find or infer them. Leave the following out of any password you create:

Your birthdate
Your name or a family member's name
Your phone number
Common sequences such as "abc" or "123"

Also avoid storing your password where other people can see it, such as on a sticky note attached to your computer monitor.

How CodeGuard protects your password

CodeGuard takes password security seriously and takes every precaution to store customer passwords safely. Stored passwords are kept protected against the tools that attackers use to crack them. Choosing a long, unpredictable password adds a further layer of protection to your account on top of these safeguards.

Frequently asked questions

How long should my password be?

There is no single required length, but longer is always stronger. A passphrase of four random words often reaches 25 to 30 characters and is both strong and easy to remember.

Is a passphrase as secure as a random string of characters?

Yes, when the passphrase is long enough and the words are genuinely random. A passphrase of four unrelated words gains its strength from length, and it is easier to remember than a short random string.