🛡️When to use Passphrases?

A passphrase is a sequence of words or other text used to control access to a computer system, program or data. A passphrase is similar to a password in usage, but is generally longer for added security.

From < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passphrase > Examples of passphrases:

dreamland scrambled amber spindle tricky absentee (Entropy = 78 bits)
vegan pancake bamboo unvisited (Entropy = 52 bits)
mummified devourer preformed operative (Entropy = 52 bits)
pentagram requisite vividness flagship (Entropy = 52 bits)
cobweb tightly viewless straddle (Entropy = 52 bits)
untried polka rewind carwash (Entropy = 52 bits)

Examples of passwords:

MLRH3Sn*mp6fNDT?+#b#e (Entropy = 130 bits)
Fn!MLX=Tt*97>z^zheo^G (Entropy = 125 bits)
D4bkHShR`~vYJ5vz>=N~~ (Entropy = 124 bits)

In short, half a dozen random words make up a strong passphrase and a long string of random alphabets, numerals, symbols make up a strong password.

So, How do I know when to use a passphrase or a password? Do I need to use passphrases when I’m already using a password manager?

The following xkcd comic answers the above questions very well:

Source: xkcd

If by any chance you didn’t get the comic😅, here’s the full explanation.

To summarize : Passphrases are very easy to remember and is more secure than some short random password. Use passphrases for your primary accounts (like your email account) or for locking down your computer. Use passphrases as the key for your password manager.

If you’re still not using a password manager checkout this post on why you need one.

Use strong auto-generated passwords for all your other accounts and lock them up in your password manager. So you let the password manager do the hard job of remembering all your passwords while you remember a simple passphrase.

All the passphrases and passwords in this post was auto-generated using KeepassXC