[ news_security_news ]
Ensuring A Safer Password
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2006-01-23
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
How original are your passwords? Surely, you've signed up for an online account somewhere and after searching the darkest corners of your mind for a clever user name have entered it in to learn that an unnerving number of people had matched your creativity.
Hackers know too that, for the most part, people aren't that original. Chances are they keep logs like this list of Top 100 Passwords compiled by Jason Dowdell.
People have often chosen passwords they believe are unique to their personalities, but may not be unique to the general population. After all, lots of people like tigers. There are lots of Rachels. And according to Dowdell's list, some even use something counterintuitive and ironic enough to be popular like "password."
There's a finite number of alphabetic passwords out there, which is why many security experts recommend using a lower case, capital letter and number combination unique (but not obvious) to your identity.
Many suggest something written in "LEET," word originally meant to denote the geek/hacker elite, often transcribed to 1337 (which in numbers looks like LEET).
For example, if you name is Leroy, you can change that to 13r0y. Add a unique personality trait, like a passion for poetry, and the handle is then l3r0yP037ry. That's a handle much harder to crack.
About the Author:
SecurityProNews is a daily online and email publication focusing on internet security issues.
More news_security_news Articles
Insider Reports RSS Feed
|
|
iEntry 10th Anniversary
RSS
Archive
