So often I hear about someone's password being cracked because they used their date of birth or, even worse, "password" as their password. Identitiy theft is always in the news these days, and having easy-to-guess passwords contribute to this. It's important to have a strong password, as this is an easy way to protect your identity online.
Some basic password tips - bear in mind that, depending on what kind of password this is, you may not be able to include all of the following. Some passwords can't contain punctuation or aren't CaSe SeNsItIvE so some of these might not apply.
a) Use a mixture of numbers and letters
b) Use a mixture of lower case and UPPER CASE letters
c) Use punctuation; a full stop, a comma, a hyphen etc.
d) Make sure your password contains at least eight characters
e) Don't use dates
f) Don't use your name, or anyone elses
g) Don't use your address, telephone number or anything else that someone could find out
h) Don't use words, use a seemingly random combination of letters, numbers and symbols.
I can't remember where I picked up this method, but it's a handy tip.
Pick your favourite song, for this example we'll use Changes by Tupac Shakur. Take a line from the song, doesn't have to be the first line but make sure it's a line you'll remember. I'll use I see no changes, all I see is racist faces. Take the first letter from each word, which gives me isncaisirf. Add in some punctuation; a comma fits naturally, maybe replace the S's with dollar $ign$ i$nc,ai$irf, then add some numbers. I can go the L337 R0U73 and replace the i's with 1's, the a's with 4's etc. or I can add in numbers before and after; 2 for 2Pac 2i$nc,ai$irf2. Then, to make it even more secure, make a couple of letters UPPERCASE. You could make all the vowels capitalised, like so; 2I$nc,AI$Irf2.
2I$nc,AI$Irf2 - nobody could possibly guess that and it wouldn't be easy for a cracker to crack. It might look as though it will take you 20 minutes to type each time you use it, but muscle memory will soon kick in. Practice typing it, so that you can type it quickly. This reduces the chance of someone memorising it as you type it.
This is the kind of password you should use to protect important information. You should change it regularly. Just pick a different line from a different song and repeat the process.
Some basic password tips - bear in mind that, depending on what kind of password this is, you may not be able to include all of the following. Some passwords can't contain punctuation or aren't CaSe SeNsItIvE so some of these might not apply.
a) Use a mixture of numbers and letters
b) Use a mixture of lower case and UPPER CASE letters
c) Use punctuation; a full stop, a comma, a hyphen etc.
d) Make sure your password contains at least eight characters
e) Don't use dates
f) Don't use your name, or anyone elses
g) Don't use your address, telephone number or anything else that someone could find out
h) Don't use words, use a seemingly random combination of letters, numbers and symbols.
I can't remember where I picked up this method, but it's a handy tip.
Pick your favourite song, for this example we'll use Changes by Tupac Shakur. Take a line from the song, doesn't have to be the first line but make sure it's a line you'll remember. I'll use I see no changes, all I see is racist faces. Take the first letter from each word, which gives me isncaisirf. Add in some punctuation; a comma fits naturally, maybe replace the S's with dollar $ign$ i$nc,ai$irf, then add some numbers. I can go the L337 R0U73 and replace the i's with 1's, the a's with 4's etc. or I can add in numbers before and after; 2 for 2Pac 2i$nc,ai$irf2. Then, to make it even more secure, make a couple of letters UPPERCASE. You could make all the vowels capitalised, like so; 2I$nc,AI$Irf2.
2I$nc,AI$Irf2 - nobody could possibly guess that and it wouldn't be easy for a cracker to crack. It might look as though it will take you 20 minutes to type each time you use it, but muscle memory will soon kick in. Practice typing it, so that you can type it quickly. This reduces the chance of someone memorising it as you type it.
This is the kind of password you should use to protect important information. You should change it regularly. Just pick a different line from a different song and repeat the process.
