Set up master password: You should pay attention to this

With a master password, you can protect all of your previously saved passwords. However, you should pay attention to some things when setting up. In this practical tip we show you what.

Set up a secure master password

In addition to many browsers such as Firefox or Chrome, some other programs now also support a master password. These should be particularly safe and difficult to crack. But be careful: A master password does not protect you against direct hacker attacks on a specific online login. You should therefore make all your passwords very secure.

• If a hacker cracks your master password, he has access to all other saved passwords. Therefore, you should make the master password extremely secure.
• In general, the longer passwords are, the harder it is to crack them. Therefore, choose a password with at least 10 characters, but gladly more.
• Your master password shouldn't be like any other password. Choose a new password from scratch.
• Like any other secure password, add some special characters and numbers to the master password. Uppercase and lowercase letters are also useful.
• The master password should not resemble a real word. A wild mix of letters, special characters and numbers is best. And under no circumstances choose a date of birth, name or place!
• Examples of secure passwords are ": KvHc7H + WP% HhrYjw__fDxgE" or "PC $ PTueiB! MT.ZEtxhEh6 / j" (do not choose exactly these passwords!).
• If you have problems remembering the password, try to remember individual groups of letters. You can then also use "sounds" that are pronounceable and separate them by numbers. For example "jAr4HIK2ka8lok9". Look at your fingers as you write. It is easier to notice the movement of the fingers than the letters and numbers themselves.
• Tip: The safest way is to have a password generated randomly. You can read which tools work best if you follow the link.

Also read which passwords you should change due to the Heartbleed bug.