Test Password Strength: Ensure Your Security with Our Simple Tool

Password security is the foundation of online security, and it's important to regularly test password strength to ensure your sensitive information is protected. This guide covers how to test password strength, create secure passwords, and use password management tools. It's designed for anyone who wants to protect their online accounts from hackers and data breaches. By understanding and applying best practices, you can prevent unauthorized access and data breaches, keeping your accounts and personal data safe.

A secure password acts as the first line of defense against hackers who are constantly looking for ways to crack weak or reused passwords. Using the same password across multiple accounts can put all your accounts at risk if just one is compromised. That’s why it’s essential to create strong and secure passwords that are unique for each account. A password manager or secure password manager can help you instantly generate and store these strong passwords, making it easier to keep your online security intact. By prioritizing password security and using the right tools, you can protect your accounts, data, and sensitive information from being compromised.

To test password effectiveness is to measure how well a password can withstand modern attack techniques. A password strength test is a process or tool that evaluates how resistant a password is to being guessed or cracked, often by measuring its entropy and checking it against databases of common or breached passwords. Password testing evaluates length, randomness, uniqueness, and exposure in known breach datasets.

Compromised passwords caused 80 percent of all data breaches in 2019, resulting in financial losses for both businesses and consumers.

Once passwords get leaked due to a security breach, hackers often keep them in a leaked password database. Testing passwords helps identify risk before attackers do.

A secure password protects access to an online account, device, or system even if attackers gain partial information. Weak passwords can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, including financial data and personal identity information.

An 8-character password will take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours to crack, while a 16-character password will take a hacker a billion years to crack.

Aim for at least 16 characters; a 16-character password can take billions of years to crack, whereas an 8-character one takes minutes.

Creating strong passwords is essential for protecting your online accounts.

A strong password should be at least 16 characters long. Strong passwords should include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Avoid using easily guessable information such as names, birthdays, or common words in your passwords.

An example of a weak password is 'Password123,' which can be cracked in 2 seconds.

An example of a strong password is 'HorsePurpleHatRunBayLifting,' which can take centuries to crack.

Using a password manager can help you create and store unique passwords securely, and allows you to manage all your login credentials efficiently.

Never reuse passwords to prevent credential stuffing attacks.

Using the same password repeatedly across multiple sites might be convenient, but it also introduces a huge security risk.

Passwords should be unique for different online accounts to enhance security.

A secure password manager protects stored credentials with a master password and encryption. The most effective strategy is to use a password manager to generate and store 16+ character passwords for every account.

Tools like 1Password, Bitwarden, and NordPass can generate and store complex, unique, and long passwords.

Using a password manager reduces reliance on memory and eliminates risky reuse.

Password security is foundational to online security and access control.

Customers’ PII-related data is the most valuable data type that hackers can extract from security breaches, costing $150 per record according to IBM’s 2020 Cost of Data Breach Report.

The FTC reports that in 2019, total losses from identity theft, which can be caused by stolen passwords, totaled $92 million. Hackers use various methods to steal passwords and sensitive information from unsuspecting users, such as exploiting untrusted Wi-Fi hotspots and insecure protocols.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add a second layer of security to accounts.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for sensitive accounts like email and banking.

Password generators can create strong and secure passwords instantly.

A strong password generator uses mathematical entropy to create random passwords consisting of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Password generators can help prevent the use of common passwords that are easy to hack.

Using a password generator can eliminate the frustration of creating strong passwords manually.

Avast does not store any passwords generated by the Random Password Generator.

Many password generators are available for free, making it easy for anyone to create strong passwords without cost.

Never reuse passwords; this is the most critical rule for security.

Passwords should be unique for different online accounts to enhance security.

Creating a secure password relies on making it long, random, and unique. Never reusing passwords is essential to prevent credential stuffing attacks, where attackers use stolen credentials from one site to access others.

Once one account is compromised, reused credentials allow attackers to pivot across systems quickly.

A truly random string or passphrase is considered high entropy.

Creating a secure password relies on making it long, random, and unique, often favoring passphrases over short, complex character strings.

Combining 4–7 random, unrelated words as a passphrase is recommended.

A 16-character phrase is generally more secure than a 10-character complex string.

You can test password strength using tools that evaluate entropy and check against breach databases.

"Have I Been Pwned" is a trusted site to check if your password or email has been leaked in a data breach.

Password strength testers provide immediate feedback on the security of a password.

Password strength refers to how resistant a password is to guessing, brute force, and dictionary attacks.

Strong passwords are typically at least 16 characters long and include a mix of numbers, special characters, and both uppercase and lowercase letters.

The estimated time to crack a password can vary significantly based on its length and complexity.

Password generators can create strong and secure passwords instantly.

Using a password generator can help you create unique passwords for every online account.

This approach removes guesswork and improves consistency across systems.

A good password is long, random, and unique.

Avoid predictable patterns in passwords, like P@ssword123.

Avoid common words, phone numbers, and simple substitutions.

A strong password should be difficult to guess even with personal context.

A password strength tester measures how long it would take to crack a password using brute force methods.

Password strength testers evaluate passwords against a database of common weak passwords.

The Bitwarden Strength Tester and Security.org testers measure password entropy without sending the actual password to a server.

The Security.org Password Strength Checker evaluates password length, combination, and uniqueness.

The Bitwarden Password Tester uses zxcvbn to estimate time-to-crack.

Using a password strength tester can help users determine if their passwords are strong enough to protect their online accounts.

Current NIST Guidelines highlight that a strong password is only one layer of security.

Password testing is most effective when paired with modern access strategies. Presence-based access models reduce reliance on static credentials.

Solutions like EveryKey support this shift by confirming identity through proximity and presence, reducing password exposure while maintaining seamless access.

Secure password tools and managers are available for Android and Mac devices, ensuring cross-platform protection.

To create strong and secure passwords, always use a unique combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, and avoid predictable patterns or personal information. Taking these steps will help protect your accounts from being compromised.

Beyond creating strong and secure passwords, using a secure password manager allows you to generate and store complex passwords for all your accounts, reducing the risk of forgetting or reusing passwords.

Enabling two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection by requiring a second form of verification before granting access.

Keeping your software and devices updated is also crucial, as updates often include security patches that protect against new threats.

By combining these measures — using a password manager, enabling two-factor authentication, and maintaining up-to-date software — you can better protect your sensitive information and ensure your accounts remain secure.

Modern browsers offer built-in password managers that can help you generate and store strong and secure passwords for your online accounts. Features like password autofill and password generation make it easier to use complex passwords without having to remember them all.

However, relying solely on your browser’s password manager can carry risks, such as exposure to data breaches or malware that targets browser-stored credentials. To maximize your password security, consider using a secure password manager in addition to your browser’s tools, and always keep your browser updated to the latest version. By taking these precautions, you can better protect your sensitive information and maintain strong password security while browsing online.

Your operating system plays a key role in password security and overall online security. Most operating systems offer built-in features like password protection, encryption, and even biometric authentication to help secure your device and data.

Enabling these features ensures that only you can access your device and the sensitive information stored on it. Two-factor authentication, when available at the OS level, adds another layer of security. Keeping your operating system updated is essential, as updates often address security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. By using a strong and secure password for your device and taking advantage of your operating system’s security features, you can better protect your data and prevent unauthorized access.

Passwords should be tested whenever they are created, updated, or suspected of exposure in a breach.

Reputable testers evaluate entropy locally and do not transmit actual passwords.

Yes. Longer passwords provide exponentially more protection than short, complex ones.

Passwords are still common, but passkeys and passwordless options are increasingly preferred.

Reusing the same password across multiple accounts remains the most critical error.