Strong Passwords 2/4

First, a password using a common word such as a name can be cracked in less than a second. Hackers use something called a dictionary attack which runs through every single word in an unabridged dictionary.

Second, if the hacker knows anything about you, they may be able to guess that your password is your cat's name, Buttercup or your daughter's birthday.

The ideal password is a random bunch of numbers, letters and special characters at least eight characters long and containing both lower-case as well as capital letters, such as jUq22$pI*nv4.

But who could remember that ridiculousness? That's the point where someone writes the password down on a Post-It and puts it under their keyboard or in the top drawer. For a home user, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for the office worker, it puts the password where anyone can find it.

The advantage of this password is that it is not a common word and a hacker must use what is called a brute-force attack. A brute-force attack can take considerably longer to crack; sometimes days of 24-hour attack. Unless you have something a hacker really wants, chances are, he's not going to mess around with your password if it takes more than a couple minutes to crack.


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