In this tutorial, we will be discussing a technique called peppering that can help you secure your passwords in a clever way. This method involves adding a few characters to your password that only you know, thus making it difficult for anyone else to crack.

Whether you’re using a password manager that has been hacked or just a piece of paper to store your passwords, peppering can make your passwords even more secure.

The idea behind peppering is straightforward. Suppose you have a password saved in your password manager or on a piece of paper, such as “cottoncandy.” This password may not be secure enough on its own since it’s written down or saved in your password manager.

The Genius Technique for Foolproof Passwords

To make it more secure, you can add three or four characters that only you know to the end of the password, such as “1234.” The actual password for the site is “cottoncandy1234,” which you type in every time you visit the website.

If you’re using a password manager, it will fill in the “cottoncandy” part, and you will only have to enter the “1234” part. This way, even if someone hacks your password manager, they won’t know the “1234” part of the password since it’s only in your head and not written down.

It’s essential to note that you shouldn’t use a password like “cottoncandy.” Instead, you should use a strong password with lots of numbers, lowercase letters, and special characters, which your password manager will autofill for you. You can then add your little pepper, such as “1234,” at the end to make it more secure.

Are Your Passwords Secure Enough?

There is a variation of this technique where you take out the “pepper” from the password. In this case, you create a secure password, let’s say a 16-character one, and then delete the last four characters from it. This way, the password you have written down or saved is not the actual password, making it more secure.

If you are using a memorable password instead of one generated by a strong password generator, such as “cottoncandy,” you can add a few extra characters to the end that you would later remove. For instance, you can have “cottoncandy1234” or “cottoncandygood.” In either case, you would remove the last four characters to get the actual password.

Finally, there is a third variation where you both subtract and add to your password using this pepper.

For example, if you had “cottoncandy,” you would store “cottoncandyabcd” on your napkin or password manager. When it comes up for autofill, you would remove “abcd” and replace it with “1234.” This way, you are both adding and subtracting characters from your password to make it more secure.

The Perfect Recipe for Unhackable Passwords

The reason this technique is called “peppering” is because there is another method called “salting,” which involves adding a long, random string to your password before hashing it. When you salt a password, it becomes almost impossible to crack by brute force, making it even more secure.

The term “salt and pepper” comes from the need for both salt and pepper in everything, including securing passwords.

Peppering is a simple but effective technique that can help make your passwords even more secure. By adding a few characters that only you know, you can make it challenging for anyone to crack your password, even if they have access to your password manager.

Remember to use a strong password and then add your little pepper to make it more secure.