Make a Stronger Password

Let me see if I can guess your password.


Is it your name followed by four numbers representing your birthday?


Is it “123456?”


Is it “Password”?


There are at least some of you reading this that are shaking your heads and laughing because I guessed your password. You shouldn’t. According to a major security firm’s research report, those are three of the ten most common passwords used by people all across the Internet. According to the report, nearly a third of users had passwords of less than six characters and more than half chose an easily guessable word consisting of a name, a slang word, a dictionary word or something relating to the website where they were using the password. Your password is your most important tool in keeping your account secure and if you don’t use a strong one, you’re making it much easier than it should be for account thieves to steal your account.


It’s no secret that Nexon and MapleStory have gone on the offensive against hackers and account thieves. Criminals such as these ruin the game for everybody and steal the hard-earned achievements of gamers who just want to log into Maple World and have some fun. The thing is, while Nexon has made strides in combating these pirates, no security is as effective as users who understand how to protect themselves on the internet. And the frontline of that effort is the creation of a strong password. That’s the reason for our recent Password Update Campaign.






The problem for many people is how to create a strong password that’s easy to remember. Here’s the first tip: Use words and phrases that are easy for you to remember but tough for others to guess. Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing wrong with writing down a password as long as the paper is kept in a secure location where others can’t get access to it. In other words, don’t keep your passwords near your computer or in a wallet or a bag.


One of the easiest ways to create a memorable password is to use a sentence that will be easy for you to remember and take the first letter of every word to create a nonsense word. “My Dad is 45 Years Old in 2010” would become “MDi45YOi2010.” Add in some number substitutes for the letters and the phrase becomes “MD145Y012o1o.” That’s a word you won’t find in any dictionary.


The most important tip out there though is this: Never give your password away. Like account sharing, this is something that should be obvious, but often isn’t. If you provide your password to friends or family members, they might accidentally compromise your security. It won’t be because they mean to, but once your password is out there, there’s no telling where they might use it, leave a trace on an unsafe computer or be in a place where someone unsavory might get hold of it. Never provide password information in response to an email request and remember that Nexon employees will never ask you for your password information. Once your password is “in the wind,” there’s no telling where it might end up and if you use the same password across multiple accounts, there’s no telling what might happen.


Play safe and Happy Mapling!