Check the strength of your passwords: with the password checker

The Password Checker is a useful tool that allows you to assess the strength and therefore the security of your password. The security of your password is crucial to protect your online accounts from unauthorized access. With this checker, you can find out how strong your password is and whether it meets current security standards.

How to use the password checker

1. Enter your password: After you have called up the password checker, you will see an input field labeled “Enter your password”. Enter your desired password in this field. The password will be hidden automatically, but you can display it temporarily by clicking on the eye icon next to the input field.
2. Check password strength: Click on the “Check password strength” button to analyze the strength of your password.
3. Display the results: After the check, the password strength is displayed in an info box. The results show how many possible combinations your password could have and how long it would take to crack it. You also receive an assessment of the security of your password.

Check the strength of your password with the password checker

The password checker is based on various criteria to evaluate the strength of a password. These criteria include:

• Capital letters: The password should contain at least one capital letter.
• Lower case letters: The password should contain at least one lowercase letter.
• Numbers: The password should contain at least one number.
• Special characters: The password can contain special characters such as commas, periods, hyphens, underscores, plus signs, tilde, angle brackets, exclamation marks, dollar signs, percent signs, ampersands, round brackets, curly brackets, equal signs, question marks and at signs.

The password strength is evaluated based on these criteria, whereby the length of the password is also taken into account. The more criteria are met and the longer the password is, the more secure it is rated.

The results are displayed in an info box that divides the password strength into categories such as “insecure”, “very risky”, “risky”, “secure” or “very secure”. In addition, the number of possible combinations and the time required to crack the password are displayed in various time units.

The history of passwords

The use of passwords dates back to the 16th century and has its origins in a military context. Back then, a single word was enough to obtain permission to pass. This original form of password primarily had a security function to prevent unauthorized access to certain areas or information.

A close relative of the password is the so-called “password”. In contrast to the password, which focuses on passing, the password emphasizes the idea of shared, secret recognition. It is less focused on the physical crossing of barriers, but rather serves to confirm the identity of the user.

However, with the advent of computers and the advancement of information technology, simple passwords consisting of a single word became increasingly insecure. Computer programs were developed to quickly try out passwords, highlighting the need for more robust passwords. As a result, the term “passphrase” or “passphrase” was introduced to emphasize the importance of longer and more complex passwords.

Rarer expressions in this context are “keyword” and “codeword”, but they are used in some contexts to refer to the same concept.

In the military field, there were also different terms for this type of access mechanism. “Losung”, ‘Losungswort’ and ‘Parole’ (derived from the Italian ‘la parola’, the word) were common terms in this regard. They were also used to regulate access to military facilities or information.

A special form of password is the “personal identification number” (PIN), which usually consists solely of digits and is often used in banking and for electronic devices. The PIN is an example of a numerical password that is used for identification and authentication.

One-time passwords (OTPs): Security through uniqueness

One-time passwords, often abbreviated as OTPs, are a sophisticated method of authentication in which each password can only be used once and then immediately becomes invalid. This unique feature ensures that even if the password is intercepted or sniffed during authentication, no harm is done.

The traditional method of using one-time passwords involves the prior definition of several such passwords, which are noted down in the form of a list. This list must be kept extremely secure as it allows access to protected systems. Such a procedure is used in online banking, for example, and is known as transaction numbers (TANs). The TAN list is a classic example of pre-created one-time passwords.

However, there are also more advanced methods for generating one-time passwords. These are often created in real time, immediately before they are required for authentication. The current time and a personal identification number (PIN) can be used to generate the one-time password. These dynamic one-time passwords are extremely secure and can only be used for a very limited period of time, often just a few minutes.

The use of one-time passwords contributes significantly to increasing security, especially in situations where conventional password authentication could be insecure. They provide an additional shield against unauthorized access and are an important part of modern security measures in the digital world.

Tips for strong passwords

Strong passwords are crucial to protecting your online accounts and personal information. Here are some tips on how to create strong passwords:

1. The length is crucial: Use passwords that are at least 12 to 16 characters long. The longer, the better.
2. Combination of characters: Your password should contain letters (upper and lower case), numbers and special characters (e.g. !, @, #, $).
3. No personal information: Do not use easily accessible information such as your name, birthday or the word “password” itself.
4. No words from the dictionary: It is easier for hackers to crack passwords that consist of normal words. Make up your own words or use unusual combinations.
5. No obvious patterns: Avoid simple patterns such as “123456”, “qwerty” or “abc123”.
6. Uniqueness: Use a different password for each account. This prevents a hacked password from being used on multiple accounts.
7. Sentence or phrase: One trick is to come up with a sentence or phrase and use the first letters of each word. For example: “I love surfing on the beach in summer” could become “Il3iS@B2S”.
8. Password manager: A password manager from Google or LastPass or Bitwarden can help you to generate strong passwords and keep them safe.
9. Update passwords: Change your passwords at regular intervals, especially for important accounts. You can use the password generator to do this.
10. Two-factor authentication (2FA): Wherever possible, enable 2FA for your accounts. This provides an additional layer of security.

Remember that the security of your passwords is crucial. If you struggle to create and manage strong passwords, using a password manager is an excellent option to simplify and automate the process.

Privacy policy for the password checker

I attach great importance to your privacy and the security of your data. In the following, I would like to explain how I handle the information you enter in my password checker:

1. Storage of passwords: I do not store any passwords that you enter in my password checker. Your passwords are not stored on my servers and are not kept by me in any form.
2. Disclosure to third parties: The passwords you enter will never be passed on to third parties. I respect your confidentiality and keep your data strictly confidential.
3. Deletion after verification: Your passwords are only processed for the duration of the verification in my password checker. As soon as you leave the site or close the browser, the passwords you have entered are automatically deleted.
4. No logging: I do not log any data about the passwords you enter. There is no record of which passwords have been checked.