Halt…Who goes there? How to Create Strong & Secure Passwords – Part One

Protecting Your Privacy With Passwords!

Your cash, your personal history and your private identity information is stored in computers all across the Internet. And you control the access to all of these with a simple password.

So you think your password is unbreakable, huh? No one would ever guess what it is right? Let’s face it. Your password is probably not as good as you think. Strong passwords are seldom used even by people who should know better.

The story goes that in the 50’s then President Harry Truman boasted to a security specialist that no one could break his password. Rather quickly the specialist broke the code: it was based on the date of Truman’s inauguration: 1-20-1949

People create and use “weak” or easy to break passwords for two simple reasons:

1. They don’t know much about the password system in the first place.

2. They don’t understand how to make a strong password, i.e. one that would be tough to crack.

The Password System

A “password” is secret combination of characters that is actually half of a two part “key” that computers require for someone to login into a locked or “password-protected” account or network.

The first part of this “key” is your Username. A username can either be assigned by the organization that controls or administers the account or made up by you.

Since most usernames are created from readily discovered items like your email addresses, nicknames, etc. security experts tell us that the “password” half, has become the most the important part of the key.

A password is almost always created by the end-user…that means you! As such, you control just how “weak” or “strong” it will be. A weak or poorly thought out password can be cracked in less than one second with software any ten year old can download for free.

A “weak” password is an easily cracked password. And No Password; No Privacy!

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Halt…Who goes there? How to Create Strong & Secure Passwords – Part Two

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Too Legit To Quit? How to Know if a Website is Safe, Part Two