Choosing a password is one of those things that everybody has to do eventually, though many passwords are not very secure due to decisions in selection and maintenance. Regardless of whether the password is for a social networking site, an online vendor, or simply just your email, all of your passwords must be kept as securely as possible in order to protect your assets as well as your identity.
Listed below are some methods to help you ensure that your passwords are secure:
* The ideal password size is between ten and fifteen characters long. This really is generally short enough for you to remember but long enough to discourage a brute force attack (a common type of a password cracking attempt).
* Avoid passwords that are very easily guessed due to their association with you. Your name and the names of anyone in your family, as an example, are very simple passwords to crack. Additional easily guessed passwords include names of pets or important dates such as anniversaries and birthdays.
* Also avoid using any passwords that are actual words that can be found in the dictionary. There are a great deal of programs that try to use every single word in the dictionary as a password. These types of programs also in many cases try to add random numbers to a given word (such as turning “kitty†into “kitty2â€) or to spell words backwards, so all those possibilities shouldn't be used as passwords.
* The best passwords are usually alphanumeric combinations (sequences of numbers and letters) that aren't composed of actual words but instead are made of syllables you can very easily remember mixed with numbers. Using a mixture of capital and lowercase letters will also help ensure a secure password. Ideally, this mixture is also pronounceable, rather than a random string of letters and numbers, because the pronounceable password will be easier for you to remember. For example, a password such as “vgie38hA†is very secure but not very memorable, while “Soe6bam†can be repeated to yourself out loud and for that reason remembered much more easily.
* Passwords which contain obvious sequences may take slightly more time to crack, but they are by no means secure. “123456†or “abcdefg†are easily recognizable patterns that will almost certainly be attempted by absolutely everyone trying to guess your password, as are patterns based on keyboard layout such as “qwerty†or “zaq1xsw2†(examine the left side of a keyboard for the latter example).
* Use a different password for every occasion. Choosing to use the same password for everything is regrettably common and very dangerous. Once the password is known to work for one use, it will probably be tried for all other applications. Using a distinct password every time prevents the loss of all security in the event that one password is compromised.
* Change your passwords frequently. The longer you keep exactly the same password, the bigger the chance that it could be compromised. Changing your passwords every six months or so helps to make sure that your passwords are secure regardless of whether they've already been discovered and simply never used.
* You may have to write your password down in the event you can't remember it. If this is the case, don't leave the written copy of your password anywhere that's immediately obvious such as your desk or your wallet. One option is to lock it up somewhere (such as a filing cabinet, lock-box, or other secure container) for that you have the sole key. Another possible method is to write the password down on the edge of a page in a favorite book – avoid writing it down on a bookmark placed in a book, however, are these are easy for you to lose and for an intruder to find.
* Never give your password to anyone. The best password is one that you, and only you, know. No one else needs to know you password – not your spouse, your family members, your buddies, or your co-workers. Your system administrator doesn't need to know your password, since that person need to be able to reset your password in case of emergency anyway.
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