SvenSvensonov
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I used to h@ck passwords for fun when I was in my college
- Yah, I did the same thing... and professionally too. Seriously though, these passwords just suck. Who the hell is lazy enough or stupid enough to use one of these (Well, actually I am, or was, but not any more... maybe
). Even if you don't think you'll be a target, you most probably are. And for businesses, governments or public institutions... STOP USING THESE TYPES OF PASSWORDS!!!!!!!A good password is an important first line of defense, though I would never suggest it's enough to stop a dedicated specialist, or even an ankle-biter looking for some fun.
Most of this is good advice, though using special characters such as ",?!@%# - or any other variation actually makes your password easier to break.
By now, you probably think you know the drill when it comes to passwords: Avoid pet's names, mix up letters, change your password regularly, blah blah blah. We might think we're being clever, but according to State of the Net, the tricks we're using to make our passwords strong these days can actually make us more susceptible to hacks.
State of the Net points out what is pretty much common knowledge these days: Hackers use software to crack your passwords, and the longer the password, the harder it is for them to crack. But a long password does not a secure password make. Turns out there are common patterns that people use that end up making passwords more obvious. Per State of the Net, here are three of them:
- One upper case, then 5 lower case, then 2 digits (Example: Dulith57)
- One upper case, then 6 lower case, then 2 digits (Example: Abugmar64)
- One upper case, then 3 lower case, then 4 digits (Example: Itio1981)
- Starting with an upper case letter followed by lower case letters
- When a password isn't long enough, adding a letter or two to the base word
- Putting digits, especially two or four of them, before or after the letters
- When a special character is required, using "!" and putting it at the end
- Not using two special characters in the same password
Even if you do follow all these instructions, the fact of the matter is, you're not entirely safe from hackers. But at least you'll be a little bit more elusive.
The Common Mistakes That Make Your "Strong" Passwords Weak
Want to develop tough-to-crack passwords that resist infiltration? Follow these 10 rules:
- Avoid using dictionary words. These passwords are easy for hackers to figure out using an electronic dictionary.
- Don’t use personal information. Any part of your name, birthday, Social Security number, or similar information for your loved ones is a bad password choice.
- Avoid common sequences, such as numbers or letters in sequential order or repetitive numbers or letters.
- If the web site supports it, try to use special characters, such as $, #, and &. Most passwords are case sensitive, so use a mixture of upper case and lower case letters, as well as numbers.
- Passwords become harder to crack with each character that you add, solonger passwords are better than shorter ones. A brute-force attack can easily defeat a password with seven or fewer characters.
- To help you easily remember your password, consider using the first letter from each word in a sentence, a phrase, a poem, or a song title as a password. Be sure to add in numbers and/or special characters.
- Create different passwords for different accounts and applications. That way, if one password is breached, your other accounts won’t be put at risk too. Do not use the same or variations of the same password for different applications.
- Despite admonitions to the contrary, one easy way to remember your passwords is to write them down and keep them in a securely locked place. Never leave them on a Post-It note on your monitor, in an address book, in a desk drawer, or under your keyboard or mouse pad (or any other obvious place).
- Consider using a secure password manager.
- If you have already established a password that is not strong, change it! Web sites have a variety of procedures that govern how you can change your password. Look for a link (such as "my account") somewhere on the site's homepage that goes to an area of the site that allows password and account management.
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