If your actual password is AliOohLaLa , ali_ooh_la_la , or PasswordForAli , a hacker with a basic dictionary attack tool would have access to your account faster than you can say “Sacrebleu!” You don’t have to be boring to be secure. You just have to be smart. Here is how you can take the spirit of “Ali Ooh La La” and turn it into an uncrackable fortress.

But here is where the fantasy meets reality. As charming as “Ali Ooh La La” sounds, let me put on my IT hat for a moment (it’s a beret, obviously).

So, go ahead. Be Ali. Keep the Ooh La La . Just add a few numbers, a symbol, and maybe a pet’s name. And for goodness' sake, turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

A password that contains dictionary words (Ali, La), common phrases (“Ooh La La”), and a predictable structure is what cybersecurity experts call a —easy to digest, easy to crack.