How to Strengthen Passwords and Account Security
- By:
- CG Financial Services
- Date:
- October 10, 2022
- Classification
- Protect Your Assets · Article
Use current NIST and CISA guidance to choose passkeys, create long unique passwords, use a password manager, enable stronger MFA, and respond to compromise.
Historical insight — Originally published October 10, 2022. Preserved as historical content; information may have changed.
Editorial update (August 13, 2026): The original 2022 password guidance has been replaced with current NIST and CISA guidance. Its original publication date and source notice remain below.
Choose passkeys when a service offers them. Properly configured passkeys use a key pair that is unique to the service and can provide phishing-resistant authentication.
Use a password manager to generate and store a long, unique password for every account. If you must create one yourself, use a password or passphrase that is at least 15 characters long where the service allows it, and never reuse it on another account.
Length and uniqueness matter more than forced mixtures of symbols, numbers, and letter cases. Predictable substitutions do not make a weak password strong. Passwords should not be changed periodically unless there is evidence of compromise or the service directs you to change one.
Enable multifactor authentication for important accounts. Prefer phishing-resistant FIDO/WebAuthn authentication or a passkey; if it is not available, use the strongest method the service offers.
If an account or password may be compromised, change the affected password immediately, change it anywhere it was reused, review active sessions and recovery information, and contact the service when necessary. Store recovery codes securely and separately from the device used to sign in.
Read NIST SP 800-63B-4, NIST’s consumer password guidance, and CISA’s multifactor-authentication guidance for the underlying recommendations and future updates.
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About the Author
CG Financial Services
CG Financial Services helps individuals, families, and business owners align financial decisions with long-term purpose. For more than 25 years, its multidisciplinary team has brought together financial planning, wealth management, tax strategy, insurance, and estate planning—listening first, simplifying complexity, and advocating for clients at every step.
