Friday, May 11, 2012

Useful Tips For Creating a Strong Password

Hackers have got very active lately and they’re always trying to get peoples’ accounts. They have various tools and software to help them guess passwords. A good password is both strong and memorable. Here are some tips to create one:
  • Go for length. Try to make sure that your password is not shorter than 12 characters. If an intruder is trying to use brute force method in cracking your password, which means his software has to try out every possible combination of keys, every single key in your password greatly increases the number of keys that he has to go through.
  • Avoid words that can be found in the dictionary. There are password-cracking softwares that use a dictionary for testing matches, and if you use a word that is in there, chances are your account if going to be intruded in less than a day.
  • Avoid using obvious or weak passwords. Aside from dictionary passwords, you should also avoid using the default ones such as password, admin, default, etc. As a general rule of thumb, a password should appear random to everyone but you, and not based on a pattern that can be understood by other people.
  • Don’t ever try to create passwords that identify yourself or relates to anything about you. That should be reserved for the username.
  • Maintain a habit of regularly changing your password. This means that even if an intruder tries to use the brute force method to guess at your password, your password would have been changed before he manages to succeed.
  • If you really need to maintain a written copy of your password, write it only in one piece of paper and keep it in a place where other important pieces of paper and plastic are kept – your wallet. Keep it secure the same way you would keep your credit card safe.
  • If you’re having trouble creating a password that is difficult to crack, use a strong password generator. This has the benefit of creating truly random password that doesn’t have any meaning or pattern to anyone, even the program that created it. You can also use either a desktop or online password managers, which can also act as automatic form fillers that will make your life easier in the long run.

Credits: onlinepasswordgenerator.net

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