Password Security


Added by Jeremy Schriver, last edited by Jeremy Schriver on Nov 05, 2009  (view change)

Labels:

password password Delete
security security Delete
Enter labels to add to this page:
Wait Image 
Looking for a label? Just start typing.

There are many different theories on password security. Some say that if your password is unique enough then it is a safe password, but technically speaking dog987 is unique but not a strong password. The first step to picking a good password is something that you can remember. This keeps you from writing it down or storing it on your computer (which could be stolen.) When thinking of a password you also want to think of something that is longer than 8 characters long. Due to the increase in technology lately, it has become very fast to crack passwords under 6 characters long. To increase the wait time of someone trying to crack your password, it is also smart to add in numbers to your password. A tip would be to choose where you put the numbers carefully. Some password cracking programs now have built in rules to check for numbers at the beginning and end of a password. So what I am suggesting is mixing numbers into your password in random places, like d13og7.

Another way to make your password even more secure is to add in capitalization, again some cracking programs check for this at the beginning of the password so choose wisely.  

  • Mixing in capitalization into your sentence makes it very difficult for an outside attacker to guess what the password is and also makes the cracking programs sit idle for a long time (the more time you can buy the more anger the crack will gain and most likely give up.
  • Also mixing in special characters makes your password very hard to guess, but can come at a price. The number one thing is password security is being able to remember your password, adding in the special characters makes it quite difficult to remember.
  • Remember that you can always check how strong your password is with online password checkers, but be wary about using them because some are frauds and will steal the password you are trying to strengthen (Password Strength Checker)
  • The last thing that can be done about password security, if you have taken all of the steps above, is to change your password often. Choosing a unique password each time you change your password is a good idea, but make sure that you can remember the passwords you create. Changing your password every 6 months is very common practice in the business world.

If my guide has not answered all of your questions please follow the link below to take a look at Microsoft’s guide to password security.

Microsoft Password Security