What is a key characteristic of a strong password?

A key characteristic of a strong password is that it consists of a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. This diversity in the character set significantly increases the complexity of the password, making it more difficult for attackers to guess or crack using brute-force methods.

Using various types of characters not only enhances the entropy—essentially the randomness and unpredictability—of the password but also complicates password cracking attempts that rely on dictionary attacks or common password lists, which often only include simple letter combinations or familiar phrases.

In contrast, using easily guessable personal information, such as names or birthdates, can lead to vulnerabilities, as this information may be publicly available or easily deducible. Similarly, having the same password across all platforms poses risks; if one account is compromised, it puts all others that share the same password at risk too. Lastly, a password with only three characters is generally inadequate as it offers a very limited number of possible combinations, making it susceptible to quick discovery through automated techniques.

Therefore, a strong password should always integrate a diversified mix of characters, enhancing security and protecting sensitive information.