How to Generate Truly Secure Passwords in 2026
In an era of constant data breaches and increasingly sophisticated attacks, password security is more critical than ever. But what actually makes a password secure, and how do password generators create truly random credentials?
The Math Behind Password Strength
Password strength is measured in bits of entropy. Entropy quantifies the randomness — the higher the entropy, the harder a password is to crack. A 16-character password using uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols has roughly 105 bits of entropy, making it virtually impossible to brute-force with current technology.
Why Human-Created Passwords Fail
Humans are terrible at generating random passwords. We tend to use dictionary words, predictable substitutions (@ for a, 3 for e), and personal information like birthdays. Attackers know this and use targeted dictionaries that crack these patterns in seconds.
How Cryptographic Generators Work
Secure password generators use the Web Crypto API or similar cryptographic random number generators. Unlike Math.random(), which uses a predictable algorithm, cryptographic RNGs pull from the operating system entropy pool — truly unpredictable data gathered from hardware events like mouse movements, disk timing, and network interrupts.
Best Practices
- Use at least 16 characters — Length is the single biggest factor in password strength.
- Include all character types — Uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols maximize entropy per character.
- Never reuse passwords — A breach on one site should not compromise all your accounts.
- Use a password manager — You only need to remember one master password.
- Enable 2FA everywhere — Even the strongest password benefits from a second factor.
Password Length vs. Complexity
A 20-character password using only lowercase letters has more entropy than an 8-character password using all character types. When in doubt, make it longer. Modern password managers handle any length, so there is no reason to keep passwords short.