Albin Sebastian

NO …….. ?

• I think you are using simple passwords

The days of using simple words or single character or a blank as a password are gone. Today, easy passwords can be cracked or guessed within minutes.

Your passwords are the keys you use to access personal information that you've stored on your computer and in your online accounts.

Since the information on your computer is precious, you need to protect it as much as you can.

It may be personal or official

This guide help you to create solid passwords that will be a roadblock for intruders who are trying to break-into your computer.

What makes a strong password ?

• Length

• Strength

• Regular Updating

• Password strategies to avoid

Length

The number of characters for your password is very important. The recommended number of characters areat least 8. The reason is that a 3 character password such as car can easily be guessed by an intruder faster than a 8 character password.

Length

A 15-character password composed only of random letters and numbers is about 33,000 times stronger than an 8-character password composed of characters from the entire keyboard.

So Length is important than Strength

Strength

The strength of a password refers to the complexity of the password. In another words, can any one guess what your password is. For example, if your computer account is Arun and your password is arun or ARUN, an intruder can easily try and succeed in logging into your computer

Strength

To strengthen your password, the recommendation is to use a mix of special characters, numbers, and the alphabet.

Special characters are !@#$%^&*()_+{}.

Change it regularly

Remember to change your password regularly. This practice limits the amount of time that someone can use to guess your password and the amount of time that your password can be used if it is uncovered.

Password strategies to avoid

Do not use username as password

Do not use personal information.

Do not use real words

Do not dictionary word with numbers

Do not use Common names

Tips to remember a password

Add Similar looking alphabetic characters with words ..

Eg: I like five star = 1Like5*

: Don’t ask = D0nt@sk

But don’t use one words like P@ssw0rd and H@ck3r

Check the strength of your password

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

Use following link to check of your password

Albin Sebastian | albin.1983@gmail.com | http://tec-updates.blogspot.com