Imagine your digital life as a shiny new car. You worked hard to get it, and you want to keep it looking clean. Like a car, your online security needs regular upkeep and if you ignore it grime builds up, and before you know it, rust starts creeping in. The positive aspect of cybersecurity is that password maintenance is simple. With a few basic guardrails, you can keep your metaphorical digital car as shiny as possible.

Kevin Mitnick, a legendary hacker turned cybersecurity expert authored multiple books and spoke frequently to share how to stay safer online and his information is like a car care guide that helps you avoid costly mistakes. Two of his biggest tips are strong passphrases and fake security answers. These are the cybersecurity versions of washing your car with soap and a sponge.

Soap and Sponge: Strong Passphrases

Every good car wash starts with soap. You need something strong enough to break down the dirt, like you need a solid passphrase to keep hackers from cracking your accounts. Mitnick recommended using a phrase you know well, like a line from your favorite song, and then turning it into something more secure.

For example, take “Home on the Range.” A weak password would be “HomeOnTheRange123,” which is like rinsing your car with water and calling it clean. A strong passphrase, like “H0|V|E_@n_ThE_R4Ng3,” is more like scrubbing with high quality soap. It gets the job done.

The Tire Scrub: Fake Security Answers

After you soap up your car, you must scrub the tires. If the body of the car is spotless but its wheels are covered in grime and brake dust, the whole thing still looks dirty. In cybersecurity, security questions are like those tires. If you use real, easy to find answers, you are leaving a weak spot exposed.

Mitnick recommended producing fake persona for security questions. Instead of using your real mother’s given name or first pet’s name, make something up. If you are really into the newest Sonic movies, say your first pet was named “DoctorEggman” (unless your first pet was named Dr. Eggman then do not do this). If you are a movie person you can also say that your childhood best friend was “TylerDurden.” These fake details add an extra layer of protection, like how shining your tires makes the whole car look clean.

Wax and Shine: Using a Password Manager

Once the car is clean, you could stop there. But adding wax helps protect the paint and keeps the shine lasting longer. This is where a good password manager comes in and stores all your passphrases safely, like wax shielding your car from dirt, rain, and bad photo ops.

The best password managers are the ones which are open-source and publicly tested by security experts. You would not trust some random wax on your car, you should not trust any password manager. Stick to the ones with a solid reputation.

The Glass Cleaner: Auto-Generated Passwords

Now the car looks great, but there is one last step: a glass cleaner. You do not realize how dirty your windows are until you clean them, and suddenly everything looks clearer. In cybersecurity, glass cleaner is the extra security that comes from letting your password manager generate strong, unique passwords for every site.

Instead of producing passwords yourself, your password manager can create long complex passwords for you. With this setup, you only must remember one expert passphrase. It is a straightforward way to keep your security spotless.

Keeping the Car Clean

These steps will keep your digital car looking sharp, but no car stays clean forever. You still need regular maintenance. Hackers are always finding new tricks, just like roads are always full of dust and potholes. Strong passphrases, fake security answers, and password managers are not onetime fixes. They are habits that help keep your digital life running smoothly.

Just like washing your car, cybersecurity is about staying on top of the basics. It will not prevent a flat tire or a dead battery, but it will stop everyday buildup from turning into bigger problems. So, grab your soap, sponge, and glass cleaner your cybersecurity could use a wash.

References

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Invisibility-Worlds-Teaches-Brother/dp/0316380504

https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/blog/8-password-security-tips-from-kevin-mitnick-for-better-login-protection