A passphrase like “correct horse battery staple” is harder for a computer to crack than a complex password like “P@ssw0rd!”, AND easier for a human to remember. Length wins over complexity.
Modern password-cracking hardware can try billions of combinations per second against stolen password hashes. Short passwords with substitutions (P@ssw0rd!) are well-known patterns and crack in minutes. A 4-word random passphrase has so many possible combinations that even high-end hardware takes years to brute-force.
The trick is that the words must be random — picked by a generator or rolled with dice, not chosen because they make a memorable phrase. “TheCatSatOnTheMat” is weak (predictable English). “correct horse battery staple” (or any random selection) is strong.
Our Cyber Security service includes password manager rollout (1Password, Bitwarden, or Keeper depending on the business) — so staff don’t have to remember any passphrases. The password manager creates and remembers them.
Want to talk through this in your specific business context? The first 30 minutes is free — phone or Microsoft Teams. Book a free 30-min scoping call →
