| |
| |
|
Security Information |
|
|
|
5 Tips For An Unbreakable Password
Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake. There are certain specific guidelines you need to follow to choose a safe and secure password. Use the following tips as a "how to" on making your password secure. 1. Your password must be alphanumeric. That simply means a mixture of numbers and letters such as xpf2778z. Why? When a hacker tries to break into a system they often use what are called dictionary or brute force hacks. A dictionary hack is an application that simply uses standard words and word combinations in an attempt to guess your password. For example many computer users use the word "password" as their actual password. A dictionary hack would crack that password in a few moments. Using alphanumeric passwords increases the number of possible password combinations by millions. 2. It should be 6 - 8 characters in length. The longer the password the harder it is for a hacking program to get around. If your password was abc then there are 6 possible password combinations. If your password was abc123 there are now over 720 password combinations possible. If your password was abc1234 there are now almost 6,000 possible combinations. Never, ever use a short password only comprised of letters. 3. Never use personal details in your password. People often use their home address, their age, husband or wives name, their social security number or their date of birth. These are incredibly easy to get access to by either a fellow employee or potential system hacker. Your password needs to be secure and hard to guess and personal details meet neither of these criteria. 4. Do not write your password down anywhere. Keeping a record of your password for somebody to find is as dangerous as keeping a copy of your ATM pin number in your wallet beside your ATM card. Create a memorable password that you'll have no problem recalling. This is not as hard as it sounds and if you jot some password ideas down you'll quickly come up with some good ones. Obviously burn the piece of paper you jotted your ideas down on. 5. Do not use the same password for more than 90 days. Create several variants of the same password and recycle them every 60 - 90 days. This adds an extra layer of security to your data. By recycling your password frequently you make your data 1000% more secure. You'll notice that most large corporates force their employees to change their password every month for this exact reason. Hopefully these tips will help you choose a password that's both safe and secure and that you'll have some fun creating your new passwords too! If you need a review of the spam blocker you intend buying then check out Spam-Site.com for spam blocker reviews.
MORE RESOURCES:
Security - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Online Shoppers, Beware of a New Scam Beware of a New Scam Aimed at Bargain-HuntersTrying to buy something cheap is absolutely natural--and online crooks set traps for unwitting bargain-hunters. On April 6 Panda Software warned Internet users of a new particularly brazen scam aimed at stealing confidential information. Spyware Attacks! Windows Safe Mode is No Longer Safe Many of us have run into an annoying and time-consuming error. With your machine running goofey you decide to run a scan for trojans and spyware. Phishing Recently I have received email from my bank/credit Card Company, eBay & pay pal saying that my account has possibly been compromised and I need to confirm my details and password in order to get continued access.Spam email now has a new and more frightening variant, it's called phishing and it has been made by criminals and hackers who aim at getting unwitting consumers to reveal account numbers and passwords. Are You Surfing Safe? Ok, you've got a computer, and you get online. You surf your favorite sites, Sports, Shopping, Cowchip Tossing Blogs, and so on. Anti-Spyware Protection: Behind How-To Tips There is no doubt that "how-to articles" have become a separate genre. One can find such an article about almost anything; there are even some entitled "How to Write a How-To Article". Avoiding Scams: If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from a man in Indonesia about buying multiple copies of certain items on my website. I immediately suspected fraud, so I explained that I only had one piece of each. Dont Allow Hackers to Take Out Money from Your Bank Account If you know what is the 'Fishing' then it's very easy to understand the definition of 'Phishing'. Just replace letter 'F' from the word Fishing with 'Ph'. A New Era of Computer Security Computer security for most can be described in 2 words, firewall and antivirus.Until recently could one install a firewall and an antivirus program and feel quite secure. The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content.However, there are potential dangers - welcome to the seedy world of viruses, spam, trojans, pornography, spyware and other nasties. Web Browsing - Collected Information You may not realize it, but as you are surfing the web all sorts of details are being left behind about your computer and where you have been. Most of this information is used harmlessly in website statistics, but it could also be used to profile you, or identify you as a vulnerable target for an exploit. Cybercriminals Trick: Targeted Trojan-Containing Emails Threats we ordinary Web users face online leave us no choice but learn. Haven't you noticed how many new things you learned lately? We are much better informed about malicious programs than just a year ago. What to Look for before You Purchase Spyware Software Huge number of spyware software applications are available in the market, some being offered as shareware while rest as freeware. (Shareware means a software available for download / CD, and can be used for a particular length of time, usually 30 days. A Basic Introduction To Spyware Spyware is the most troublesome software to appear on the Internet in recent times. When spyware infects a computer system, it may be relatively harmless or it may be devastating. 3 Simple Steps to Stay Safe from Spyware There are several basic concepts to keep in mind when deciding to stay spyware free for good. This article will outline a spyware checklist for you to keep in mind when getting tough on spyware and taking back control of your computer using two popular free applications, Ad-Aware,and Spybot - S&D. Email Hoaxes, Urban Legends, Scams, Spams, And Other CyberJunk The trash folder in my main inbox hit 4000 today. Since I never throw anything out, I know that what's in there is courtesy of my email filter which is set to automatically delete anything that is forwarded from my work account from a certain person. The Importance of Protecting Your PC from Viruses and Spam Today the internet is a mine field of malicious code looking to harm your computer. Hackers want to have access to your PC for both fun and profit. Phishing: An Interesting Twist On A Common Scam After Two Security Assessments I Must Be Secure, Right? --------------------------------------- Imagine you are the CIO of a national financial institution and you've recently deployed a state of the art online transaction service for your customers. To make sure your company's network perimeter is secure, you executed two external security assessments and penetration tests. Desktop Security Software Risks - Part 1 This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.Reason #2: the Desktop Security Software RisksThe risks of placing software on the desktop are such that I will be breaking this article into two parts. How to Thwart the Barbarian Spyware! Today,on most internet user's computers, we have the ability to employ software, along with our intelligence, to prevent viruses and spyware. To put this article into proper perspective, we'll use Medieval defense tactics. Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords In the past I've never really paid much attention to security issues when it comes to user names and passwords. Frankly I figured it was all a lot of overblown hype.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
