Choosing A Password:
Mind the Letters and Words in Your Password
By Radhika Venkata
- Don't choose predictable passwords like ascending or descending numbers
or letters like 'abcjohn'. (See the example password below)
"I met two of my Friends one week back" can be chosen as password: 'Im2omF1wb'
- Don't choose the following as your password:
- Names
- Birthdays
- Family names
- Words from the dictionary
- Telephone numbers
- National Insurance numbers
- Street names
- Celebrities names
- Change your password frequently, approximately every 4 - 6 months.
- Always use random letters like 'nK/Gv4sS0'.
- Use both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Always use different passwords for different accounts. If you have one main password leading to different password protected folders, keep one password for each folder.
- Most common mistake everybody makes is emailing passwords. Instead of using the utility 'Forgot password?' on login pages, write down all your passwords in a book and keep it in a safe place.
- Whenever you sign up for an account they will send you a username and password. Note them down and delete the emails, especially with free accounts like Yahoo and Hotmail.
- Don't tell anyone your password. If they must have access, then change your password to a different one.
- Use long passwords, preferably more than 6 characters. See the chart
below: (Provided by tamingthebeast.com)
Password characters Password Format Time taken to track down 4 characters either lower or upper case less than few seconds 4 characters both lower & upper less than few seconds 8 characters either lower or upper approx 58 hrs 8 characters both lower & upper approx 7 years 10 characters either lower or upper approx 5 years 10 characters both lower & upper approx 4648 yrs 10 characters both lower & upper and numbers approx 26984 yrs - Don't check the 'Remember the password' checkbox in your 'Enter Network password' pop up window.
Radhika Venkata (c)
