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Keep it long. The longer the
password, the harder it is to crack. Use at least eight characters
if you can. Avoid
dictionary words. Hackers use programs that test every word in
the dictionary as a password - foreign words included. Stay away
from obvious ones such as "password" or anything resembling the
user name.
Dump Luke Skywalker.
Character names from science-fiction movies and books are some of
the easiest to guess. Names and birthdays also are a no-no. Those
are the most obvious things for cybercriminals to try. Avoid pets'
and kids' names and easily gathered data, such as Social Security
numbers, phone numbers, home addresses and car models.
Vary the case. A mix of
upper-case and lowercase characters makes the password stronger.
Make combos complex. Simply
adding a couple of digits on the end of a word or putting two
words together doesn't strengthen the password much. Insert
characters such as #$%^&*()@ between letters.
Change it up. Vary your
passwords at least twice a year, if not more often. Pick
landmarks, such as the start of each quarter, to switch.
Use different passwords for each
account. That way, if one is stolen, they're not all lost.
Password thieves are known to get people to sign up for a
fictitious Web site with a password, and then ask what other
on-line services the user subscribes to.
Never write it down. It's
easy to steal a password on paper.
Generate a "pass phrase".
Compose your password by taking the first letters of a phrase or
song title. "The big red wagon goes fast" is "tbrwgf." Make it
tougher by slipping numbers and characters between the letters.
For example: "tb9r&wg1f".
Test it. Visit the Web site
www.securitystats.com/tools/password.asp to size up your
"password strength" and see how to bolster it.
By Alex Frangos |
