Attack Computer Wiz

Do you use the same password for every website you access? Is your email password the same as your banking password, the same as your Facebook password, the same as your eBay password? Have you ever considered what will happen if someone was to steal or guess your password?

A good password should be easy for you to remember, yet hard for someone else to guess. There are many methods used to create a good password. Some of those methods include:

Compound Words: This method takes an everyday word and mixes or changes the letters in some way to make it unique. Examples:

• R@5pBerr13s (raspberries)
• 5p@ce_5hu7713 (Space Shuttle)
• F1ying_M0nk33 (Flying Monkey).

Passphrase: A passphrase can be a favorite phrase or saying. It should be a few words long and should not be a phrase that you use often. Examples:

• UpUp&@way (up up and away)
• 5tup1diz@sStup1dduz (Stupid is as Stupid does)
• C@nUh3arm3n0w? (Can you hear me now?)

Password Sentence: A password sentence is a method of creating password where you create a sentence and use the first letter of every word in the sentence to create your complex password. (The video below is a great example of this). Example:

• Mp1ec&lwnbhb@! (My password is extremely complex and likely will never be hacked by anyone!)

Some more password tips:

1. Never allow your browser to save your password
2. Never write your passwords down or store them where another can access them
3. Never use your name, birthdate, or family members name as your password
4. Use a password manager that stores your passwords securely and make a backup of they files
5. Use a long, complex password
6. Do not use any password that you can find in a dictionary
7. Do not share your passwords with anyone
8. Do not use the same password for multiple sites

Below is a YouTube video created by Sophos that demonstrates how to create a complex password using the password sentence method above.

Posted by Mike Wright