by Niall Roche © 2005
Email: niall@spam-site.com
http://www.spam-site.com
Despite the current wave of identity theft and
corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat
their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers
users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance
and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This
can be a catastrophic mistake.
There are certain specific guidelines you need
to follow to choose a safe and secure password. Use the following
tips as a "how to" on making your password secure.
1. Your password must be alphanumeric. That simply
means a mixture of numbers and letters such as xpf2778z. Why?
When a hacker tries to break into a system they often use what
are called dictionary or brute force hacks. A dictionary hack
is an application that simply uses standard words and word combinations
in an attempt to guess your password. For example many computer
users use the word "password" as their actual password.
A dictionary hack would crack that password in a few moments.
Using alphanumeric passwords increases the number of possible
password combinations by millions.
2. It should be 6 - 8 characters in length. The
longer the password the harder it is for a hacking program to
get around. If your password was abc then there are 6 possible
password combinations. If your password was abc123 there are now
over 720 password combinations possible. If your password was
abc1234 there are now almost 6,000 possible combinations. Never,
ever use a short password only comprised of letters.
3. Never use personal details in your password.
People often use their home address, their age, husband or wives
name, their social security number or their date of birth. These
are incredibly easy to get access to by either a fellow employee
or potential system hacker. Your password needs to be secure and
hard to guess and personal details meet neither of these criteria.
4. Do not write your password down anywhere.
Keeping a record of your password for somebody to find is as dangerous
as keeping a copy of your ATM pin number in your wallet beside
your ATM card. Create a memorable password that you'll have no
problem recalling. This is not as hard as it sounds and if you
jot some password ideas down you'll quickly come up with some
good ones. Obviously burn the piece of paper you jotted your ideas
down on.
5. Do not use the same password for more than
90 days. Create several variants of the same password and recycle
them every 60 - 90 days. This adds an extra layer of security
to your data. By recycling your password frequently you make your
data 1000% more secure. You'll notice that most large corporates
force their employees to change their password every month for
this exact reason.
Hopefully these tips will help you choose a password
that's both safe and secure and that you'll have some fun creating
your new passwords too!
