Secure passwords are passwords that cannot be easily guessed by computer programs that try to figure them out so people can get in your accounts. Secure passwords do not have to be impossible to remember.

Secure passwords normally meet at least three of the following requirement and are not words in the dictionary. They may contain upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Many places have those requirements when creating a password and usually require them to be at least six or eight characters long. The longer the password, the harder for programs to guess it.

Computer generated secure passwords look like @23a8kb6, which makes no sense to us, and the only way to remember is to write it down. If you write down passwords, don’t write down the username and account together.

You can create secure passwords you can remember. For instance, you could use the word “Washington” as the basis for creating a secure password, but change it so it is secure. You could change the “a” to “@” and make the “h” a “H” and the “i” a number 1. Now, it would be w@sH1ngton.

It looks like the computer-generated one to someone seeing you type it, but you can remember it.

Although passwords are the main way we secure accounts now, that is starting to change. We are beginning to see the use of biometrics to make accounts and computers more secure, including checking your fingerprint, scanning your eye (which is supposed to be more unique than a fingerprint) or facial recognition.

Send your questions to Dwight Watt at dwight@dwightwatt.com. He teaches at a technical college in northwest Georgia and does consulting work for businesses and individuals. His website is www.dwightwatt.com.