Password Length Recommendations 2025
- A Writer
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 20
Password Length Matters in Today’s Digital World
In an age where cyber attacks are increasingly sophisticated and personal data is more vulnerable than ever, your first line of defence online is your password. But not all passwords are created equal, and one of the most important factors in securing your digital life is password length.
The Anatomy of a Strong Password
A secure password isn’t just about complexity; length is critical. Here’s why -
Longer passwords are harder to crack. Brute force attacks, where hackers try every possible combination, take exponentially more time with each added character.
More characters equals more entropy (randomness). A 15-character password using uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols offers millions more possible combinations than an 8-character one.
The Challenge of Remembering Secure Passwords
Sure, a mix like T7g!rX2&JL5#Cg-p*Dq is secure, but it’s also very hard to remember.
Here’s where a clever trick comes in.
The Five-Word Method is personal, memorable and secure. Just glance around your room. Pick five random objects and string them together, for example LampGuitarCurtainMugStapler. Now you’ve got a password that’s 20+ characters long, easy to visualise, hard to guess and zero special characters are required (unless you add some for flair). This method takes advantage of how our brains are better at remembering visual objects and stories than random characters.
Password Managers: Convenience Meets Security
If juggling dozens of long passwords sounds overwhelming, that’s where password managers shine.
Benefits -
Store all your passwords securely
Auto-fill login details
Generate ultra-strong passwords – 40+ characters
Only one master password to remember
Considerations -
Single point of failure: If someone gets your master password, they can access everything
Protect the master password with 2FA and at least 25 random characters
Popular password managers like Bitwarden, Dashlane, and 1Password offer encrypted vaults and zero-knowledge architecture, meaning even they can’t access your data.
Time Taken to Brute Force a Password
Short passwords, particularly those made up of only numbers and lowercase letters, can be brute-forced in an alarmingly short time. Ideally, each of your passwords should be strong, unique, and fall within the green zone of security. While a 9-character lowercase password might seem reasonably safe with an estimated brute-force time of 2 years using today’s computing power, that assurance is quickly fading. With quantum computing on the horizon, those timeframes could shrink dramatically – potentially to just one-thousandth of what’s currently displayed.
Best Practices
Here’s a checklist to keep passwords (and your sanity) in check:
Use at least 15 characters, ideally more
Include a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols
Consider passphrases using real-world objects or places
Use a unique password for every website
Store them in a trusted password manager
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible
For sensitive accounts, go max length (40+ characters)
Final Thoughts: Longer Is Stronger
Today’s online threats don’t discriminate — whether you’re protecting banking credentials, customer data, or just a streaming account. Strong, lengthy passwords are no longer optional. They’re your front-line armour. And if remembering them feels daunting? Let a password manager do the heavy lifting.
This is a guest post written by Steve from Steve’s PC Repairs - for all your computer and laptop
repairs in Adelaide.
