Two-factor authentication, single sign-on and other technologies have made improving your online security simpler than ever, but good passwords will still play a key role in keeping your information secure. Password attacks are more of a threat than many people believe, and passwords that are widely used are much more likely to compromise.
In this article we will cover useful free tools to check the strength of your password and verify the security of your accounts. Although upgrading your passwords can't remove the possibility of security breaches entirely, it will still go a long way towards making your company safer.
1. Nordpass:
Nordpass is offering the team responsible for NordVPN, a free online password strength checker.
As well as being able to test the strength of an existing password, Nordpass also provides the possibility of creating new passwords. Additionally , users can import their old passwords and share their login credentials safely with friends , family members and colleagues. Although other features are only accessible via the app, the Nordpass website features the password strength checker.
Nordpass evaluates each password by checking for a few basic elements: length (at least 12 characters), letters, symbols , and numbers. It also predicts how long it will take to break the password and decides if prior data breaches have compromised it.
You can test your password 's strength without installing an app or even creating an account which makes Nordpass extremely convenient. This also provides all the information you need to decide whether a password is safe enough.
2. The University of Illinois at Chicago Password Strength Test:
The UIC Academic Computing and Communications Center offers a comprehensive password security checker, which also includes secure passwords with various best practices. Although the review is more nuanced, it also gives you a deeper insight into the strengths and limitations of a password in question.
UIC does not ask users to sign up, as Nordpass does. The test for strength of your password is run on your own computer, so your information is never sent online.
Some of the benefits of the service is that it is showing the exact result of any part of your password. It also highlights factors such as repeating characters which might not be considered by other password strength checkers. On the other hand, UIC does not display an estimated "time to crack," as these calculations are considered unreliable.
3. Kaspersky:
Kaspersky is a company in cybersecurity with VPNs, antivirus software and other products. The Password Manager is a perfect way to keep track of your passwords too. The Kaspersky password strength tool is available on its website, and there's nothing you need to sign up or download to check a password.
Unlike the UIC app, Kaspersky uses a simple interface and only provides basic information on the strength of your password. For being "common or a word," a test password was flagged, while simply adding an exclamation point made it a "hack-resistant" password with no additional information other than the estimated time to crack.
The Kaspersky website has a simple FAQ about generating passwords and checking them online, in addition to the password strength tool. It also offers online security tips, such as allowing for two-factor authentication and tracking of login history.
4. Comparitech:
Comparitech, like Kaspersky, focuses on security services , providing VPNs, antivirus software, cloud backups and more. The password strength check is open to all visitors to the Comparitech web site along with a password generator.
Similar to UIC, Comparitech has a disclaimer that clarifies that any passwords entered are processed only locally. In other words, you will not ever submit anything you type into the password field online. Ironically, another disclaimer points out that password strength tools are inherently restricted and can never evaluate the protection of a given password in a conclusive way.
Comparitech also offers basic information about the strength of your password, in addition to the approximate time to crack. It pointed out, for example, that our test password contained a dictionary word, wasn't particularly long and contained no characters other than numbers and letters.
While Comparitech does not go as far as UIC in offering fine-grained insights into your password, any glaring weaknesses are still to be identified. When you want to create better passwords, you can also use the password generator, or the advice below the tool.
5. LastPass:
LastPass is one of the most common password managers, providing applications for both Android devices and iOS. The password strength tool is available on its website free of charge, and will not store or transfer any of your data.
LastPass can have an overall rating once you enter a password, along with unique tips to help you make more improvements. It defined our test password as too short, containing a dictionary word or known password and with no symbols at all.
Unfortunately, in previous attacks, LastPass doesn't search for your password and there's no easy way to say whether it's already found. This is a crucial step in the process of password strength testing so do not forget to check this information before finalizing any new passwords.