Wednesday, November 22, 2006

4 Tips for Creating Stronger Passwords

By now you've probably heard that you need to create strong passwords when you register for anything online so no one can steal your sensitive information. But, how exactly do you create strong passwords? Here's a list of tips to keep in mind whenever you're asked to create a password for a new account:

  • Never use a password that can be found in a dictionary. Did you know that hackers (the bad guys) use software that steals passwords by trying every word in the dictionary? If you use a word that can be found in a dictionary you could be susceptible to this type of attack.
  • Don't use your pet's name or any other word or phrase that unscrupulous people can easily identify with you. You should make it difficult for anyone to guess your passwords, not easy.
  • Longer is Stronger and don't forget to mix & match letters and numbers. Long passwords that are a combination of made up words, upper and lower case letters, numbers and even symbols(if the site allows) are your best bet because they're obviously harder to guess by man or machine.
  • Let the site's password strength checking tool be your guide. Some sites will automatically rate your password strength as you type it. Keep working on your password till you see a rating of strong or strongest.

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