Last week, I wrote about the DDoS attack which occurred on October 21st. That attack shut down many websites and apps, especially for users on the East Coast. I recommended that you use a very secure and strong password. Please don’t use one of these most common passwords!
Source: http://i.imgur.com/FImcPiG.png
How to create a Strong Password:
It occurred to me that you may need some guidance to create a really secure and strong password. Here are some tips:
- First, the more characters in your password, the more secure it will be. According to mSecure, a four-character password can be cracked in under a minute, while an eight-character password can be cracked in five months. A nine-character password can take up to 10 years to crack. Notice I said “up to”. Just using lots of characters doesn’t work if the password is easy to guess. That’s why you also need:
- Next, think Complexity. Using a eight-character password like “password”, “Password”, or even “PasswØrd”, is too easy to guess. Even a nine-character password like “password1” is relatively easy to crack. The same goes for “Admin”, “administrator”, and “12345678”. These are common passwords that a lot of people use. In order to make a password more complex, add symbols, capital letters, and numbers. Using symbols or numbers in exchange for letters makes the password easier to remember. For example swap out your “o” for an “Ø”, your “a” for “@”, or your “e” for a “3”. You can even use a password generator like passwordsgenerator.net to generate a truly unique password. I like this one because I can set the number of characters and whether or not I can use special characters like @#%& for a particular website. Above all, when you go to enter your log in credentials:
- Finally, you must remember that very strong password! Some ideas include a favorite book, your best friend’s name from second grade, or your grandparent’s street address. Just remember to add some additional complexity to make it even more secure. For example, “Newport” can become “517Newport”, “NewpØrt”, or “Newport100”. If you must write down your passwords, keep it in a secure place. I use a password protected spreadsheet.
Please make it a point to use a secure and strong password on all of your internet connected devices. Change it today!
Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.
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