P@$$w0rd Pr0tect!ion

Cameron Palmer
The Signal
The majority of people today are dependent on the Internet for banking, bills, entertainment, social media and gaming.  The passwords we choose for our accounts are supposed to be secure, complex and, hopefully, unbreakable.  Sadly most of the passwords chosen follow a pattern of repetition and are easily attacked by hackers.

Let’s see if I can guess any of your passwords that you use for your accounts on the Internet.  Let me begin by asking a few questions, then you let me know if I am getting warmer.

Are any of your passwords your name or perhaps the name of your child, pet or a family member? Are they something that is easy to remember such as “password,”  “12345678,” “QWERTY” (the top letters on an American keyboard), or my personal favorite, “trustno1”?  Perhaps they are of a popular band or a famous celebrity like “Bieber” or “Pitt.”

Maybe you went a different, and perhaps more clever route such as “NCC1701” (the numbers on the starship enterprise), or “8675309” (a popular 80s song by Tommy Tutone – humming it now).

Am I getting warmer?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your accounts or personal information are vulnerable to hackers.  When I say hackers, I mean unauthorized users deliberately gaining access to personal accounts, whether they are video game accounts, e-mail accounts, bank accounts, etc., and possibly causing harm to your lifestyle via the Internet.

Hackers can steal identity, personal information, funds or just make your life a living hell.

If you answered no to all these questions, do not think you are safe because you may still be at risk.

Research performed by Symantec’s Norton, an antivirus company designed for computer security, stated that half of the users on the internet do not use secure or “complex” passwords. Users instead use simple patterns or obvious words that are easy to breach by hackers.

Passwords such as “Abc123” and “letmein” are NOT considered complex.  Instead they fall into the top 10 worst, most used, and common passwords.  If they happen to be a password you have chosen, I strongly advise you to change it immediately.

Obviously one can get more creative than “ABC123” right?  The first three numbers and letters of the alphabet should not be a serious password.

So what does classify as a strong or complex password? A mixture of symbols, numbers and capitalizations and lower-case letter is a start.  A phrase or memorable word, such as your favorite author or favorite character in a movie or video game or even a favorite food will be more secure than “123123” or “QWERTY” ever will.

The two rules you must follow when creating a password are password length and password complexity.

Your password length should be at least eight characters long; the longer the password is, the harder it is for a hacker to gain access.

A password must also follow the “8 4 rule” or eight characters, one lower case, one upper case one number, and one special character.  This insures maximum protection.

In this modern digital world our entire personal lives are kept online. Whether it be personal family photos or bank records, our passwords are our last line of defense against those who wish to poach from our digital lives.

For more information about how to create a strong password visit: thegeekstuff.com/2008/06/the-ultimate-guide-for-creating-strong-passwords.