Technological advancement has allowed for more sophisticated tools to help in the fight against hackers who steal our information. However, it never hurts to go back to basics to strengthen your defenses: your password. So how secure is your password? Here are five password checkers to help you test:
Table of Contents
1. Comparitech Password Strength Checker
Comparitech, founded in 2015, is a platform that provides reviews, information, and tools to help people make well-informed decisions when improving their cybersecurity and online privacy. The company focuses on password managers, antivirus, VPNs, firewalls, and more. Along with a password generator, Comparitech’s Password Strength Checker is a free tool available to the public.
Can Comparitech Password Strength Checker be trusted?
Using Comparitech’s Password Strength Checker is very easy. Upon entering your password, the results appear instantly. They not only give you basic information about the strength of your password, but also tell you the estimated time to crack your password.
Also, it analyzes how complex your password is and deduces if it is common or not. There are some tips available to advise you on how to improve the security of your password. Although Comparitech Password Strength Checker doesn’t dwell on the nitty-gritty details, it offers a general conclusion about your password strength, which is enough for most.
A disclaimer states that entered passwords are not stored or processed locally in the browser, giving you assurance that nothing is transferred online. Furthermore, Comparitech states that the tool is not foolproof and cannot fully account for the strength of all passwords, as there are inherent limitations.
2. LastPass Password Checker
Established in 2008 with headquarters in the US, LastPass is a pioneer in cloud security technology. They specialize in identity and password management solutions. How secure is your password? is LastPassThe free online password verification tool.
What does LastPass Password Checker offer?
Enter your password and you’ll get the results almost immediately with the overall strength rating at the top. Scroll down to read the tips offered to help improve your password security. Unlike Comparitech, LastPass gives you more detailed information by focusing on length, repetitive characters, and upper and lower case letters.
However, it does not indicate how long it may take to crack your password as Comparitech does. For the free version, there is a disclaimer that the passwords you enter will not be stored or sent anywhere online.
There’s a free LastPass app (iOS and Android) you can download to help save passwords securely and perform automatic login for you. There are also extensions for popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
If you need more functions and features, check out their paid plans. They also have a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. However, if you’re happy with its free version that offers unlimited passwords and a password generator, LastPass is a solid option.
3. Kaspersky Password Checker
With over 24 years of cybersecurity experience, Kaspersky Lab was founded in 1997 and is based in the UK. Based on security intelligence technologies, its solutions help individuals and businesses conduct transactions with confidence and security. Kaspersky’s products range from antivirus and Internet security to cloud security solutions. The Kaspersky Password Checker is your free online password checking tool.
Is Kaspersky Password Checker safe?
I find Kaspersky Password Checker too simple and the recommendations offered were rather vague. That being said, it provides information such as the overall strength of the password (shown as a horizontal bar) and the estimated time to crack your password. However, there are no specific extended hints for your password.
That being said, Kaspersky does let you know if your password appears in any leaked password databases, which is fine. They use “I’ve been promoted,” a trusted service that collects information about account and password leaks.
A comprehensive FAQ teaches cyber security best practices and how to strengthen your password. You can also explore the free version of Kaspersky Password Manager to help you manage your passwords for unlimited devices, but restricted to 15 passwords and documents; It is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
4. NordPass Password Strength Checker
Riding under the umbrella of Nord Security, a leader in cybersecurity in the global market, NordPass is a password management solution on any device. They also have a free password strength checker.
Is NordPass Password Strength Checker safe?
Without downloading or installing anything, you can assess the strength of your password and check if you are exposed to any breaches by entering your password through their online password strength checker tool. NordPass analyzes the syntax of your password (length: at least 12 characters, symbols, numbers, lowercase and uppercase letters) and informs you about its strengths and weaknesses.
The results are complete. Also, you’ll get an estimated time to crack your password and if your password was in any previous data breaches. NordPass has developed this free web tool in JavaScript with a highly secure SSL connection. They also claim that your passwords never leave the browser and none are stored.
If you need other features, such as access to passwords during emergencies and identification of weak, old, and reused passwords, feel free to check out their paid plans.
5. UIC Password Strength Test
Developed by the University of Illinois at Chicago, the UIC Password Strength Test relies on its proprietary formulas to assess the overall strength of your password. They have also included many strong best practices for strong passwords on the right hand side of the web page.
UIC Password Strength Test Is it any good?
At first glance, the interface of the UIC Password Strength Test tool doesn’t seem as simple as the others on this list. However, once you enter your password, it’s pretty easy to digest. You will see a detailed overview of your password strengths and weaknesses. Like others on this list, the overall complexity rating sits at the top with a score bar.
The tool analyzes various criteria resulting in various categories showing additions and deductions of points. In a nutshell, it evaluates the effect of different aspects of your password in more detail. Password strengths are represented by additions and weaknesses by deductions.
For example, you earn points if you have included numbers and symbols. However, if you have repeating characters, you get negative points.
Like the others on this list, the UIC Password Strength Test Tool runs locally and does not transmit your password over the Internet. However, they do not offer the ‘days to decrypt’ value here because they consider this unreliable in the real world. Also, they have a disclaimer stating that this tool is not perfect and should only be a rough guide to improve your password.
Why a strong password is Crucial
While there are many advances in cybersecurity, you can’t ignore that strong passwords are the first line of defense against identity theft. Your password protects your data, financial information and web accounts. Hacker cessation uses brute force, spoofing, guessing, dictionary word lists and other ways to steal your passwords.
You may not know it, but password crackers are more frequent and pose a more serious threat than many. Once a hacker accesses your personal information, your web accounts are wide open. Not only is your money at stake, but identity theft can also result in irreparable damage to individuals and businesses.
Password Best Practices
Simple, short, and easy-to-guess passwords can take a short time to crack. As such, their goal is to create passwords that are virtually impossible to crack. Strengthening your passwords should go hand in hand with other security best practices to ensure that you get optimal protection at all times:
- Don’t just click any links in suspicious emails and websites
- Do not use public networks, especially for any of your online transactions
- Use trusted antivirus and antimalware applications to protect incoming emails and files
- Use a firewall to keep an eye on any unauthorized attempts: they check, filter, and block communications with unauthorized sources
- Use a virtual private network (VPN) to safeguard your privacy and encrypt your data to improve security.
- Keep your software up-to-date – Hackers love to take advantage of security holes in your software, so plug them in by making sure they’re always up-to-date.
- Avoid using pirated software
- Protect your privacy by having data brokers (those who collect data about you) remove your data from online databases through Incognito from Surf Shark.
Conclusion
You cannot afford to be indifferent on the Internet. Hackers are always on the lookout for things to hack and steal. A matter as simple as your password is not spared. So save your passwords like you would your house keys.
Make your passwords hard to crack by comparing them with these five free password checkers. Your ultimate goal is to get rid of and thwart the hackers.
