In Passwords Part I: Why Do We Need Them? we discussed the importance of using strong passwords. In this article, we’ll describe strong passwords and how to create them.

So, what makes a password weak or strong…aren’t they all the same? Well, no…they aren’t the same, especially to hackers and their password-breaking programs as mentioned in Part I. Essentially what makes a password strong is its length in characters and the combination of capital and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. You see, a strong password should resemble a string of random characters to a hacker. Let’s take these characteristics one at a time.

The longer the password the stronger it is. Your password should be at least 8 characters in length and the more characters you add, the stronger it will be. Fourteen characters or more is ideal. I know…right about now you’re saying, “I have a hard time remembering my cell phone number; how am I going to remember a password with all these characters?” Settle down, don’t get all puffy faced…I’ll tell you how to create and remember the strongest passwords.

One good technique is to think of a phrase that you can remember; such as “strong passwords” (please don’t use this or any example as your real password). The password would look like “strongpasswords”, a weak password, by the way, according to Microsoft’s really sweet Password Checker found at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/checker.aspx . Now let’s make it stronger by using capitals and substituting numbers for look-alike letters and adding a special character such as “Str0ngP455w0rd5!” rated as “best strength”.

We obtained the “best strength” level by mixing up the types of characters. For instance, capitalizing some letters and not others has helped. A password with greater than 8 characters helps. Using numbers and symbols will also strengthen it. Note that the letter O was replaced with zeros, the letter A was replaced by the number four, and the letter S was replaced by the number five. Then we added an exclamation point character at the end.

Remember, the more variety of characters in your password, the harder it is for hackers to guess. I’ve always been one that follows the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) principal, but this is one time complexity is a very good thing. Trust me on this.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/passwords-part-ii-what-are-strong-passwords-anyway-1296232.html

About the Author:

Paul Lubic is a seasoned IT guy who’s used computers at home for more years than he’d care to say. His objective is to use this article and his blog site to pass on lots of valuable information that you can use in your home computing endeavors. Check back often to see what he’s up to at Paul’s Home Computing Blog at http://www.paulshomecomputingblog.wordpress.com.

Remember, home computing is a blast…keep it productive and enjoyable.
Paul E. Lubic, Jr.
paulshomecomputing@yahoo.com

If you use the Internet and/or store valuable or personal information on your computer; you must defend against a multitude of threats in today’s computing environment. We are constantly bombarded with viruses, bots, worms, and hackers that want to break into our computers and obtain information which can be used to make money for the cyber criminals who own them. The cyber nuts who do these things have shifted from introverted techie hackers who want to make a name for themselves at a Black Hat Convention (an annual conference for hackers), to organized groups of hackers whose purpose in life is to steal personal information for profit (think Russian Mafia).

The tools they use are bots, virus-like programs that infiltrate your computer, store themselves on your disk, and collect information such as your social security number, name, address, and credit card numbers. This information is used to charge directly to your credit card accounts and to commit other identity theft in order to open new accounts in your name. And many still use the tried and true method of hacking (gaining access) your computer and searching your files, etc. until they find something of value.

In many cases having a good, strong password is the last line of defense against these thieves. Because the stronger the password, the longer it will take a hacker to find out what yours is. And like most thieves, hackers want to get in, get the goods, and get out as quickly as possible. Therefore, just like a house burglar will go to the next house if he sees a dog or an alarm system, so will a hacker move on to a computer with a weak password upon encountering one that is taking a while to discover.

So…why do we need passwords? Because without them you’re unprotected against crooks…much akin to not locking the doors to your house, period. Look for my companion article: Passwords Part II: What Are Strong Passwords Anyway? which addresses strong passwords and how to create them.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/passwords-part-i-why-do-we-need-them-1296223.html

About the Author:

Paul Lubic is a seasoned IT guy who’s used computers at home for more years than he’d care to say. His objective is to use this article and his blog site to pass on lots of valuable information that you can use in your home computing endeavors. Check back often to see what he’s up to at Paul’s Home Computing Blog at http://www.paulshomecomputingblog.wordpress.com.

Remember, home computing is a blast…keep it productive and enjoyable.
Paul E. Lubic, Jr.
paulshomecomputing@yahoo.com