The Perfect Password

password

Following ‘Bill Burrs’ admission to what we should have  as an ideal password, which was horribly wrong, we wanted to give readers the best possible solution to making / changing their passwords for the better.

Making a password that is relatively unbreakable is quite simple. You need to follow one of these two simple rules.

  1. Combine 4 or more words into a sentence, these can be arbitrary things, add a number and a capital letter. I.e Phone9staplerdogkeyboard
  2. Create a password that is completely random, containing special characters (#@!$%&*) including a number and capital letter of at least 20 digits in length. I.e 4T#k@dtsui@739dhj%w3r

Lets see why this works;

Using a “passphrase” combining four random common words such as “correct horse battery staple” would take 550 years to crack at 1000 guesses per second, compared with just three days for a traditional password like “Fr0ntd@@r”.

The reasons for this is that a password cracking program can actually look at frequently used passwords first, then starts to look at variations of those same passwords. If it has to look at multiple words, it is in fact having to derive each word used and then harder again, to get them in the correct order. More like a combination lock with 4 numbers 1 through 10, if you do not know which four numbers are used in which combination, you have just made it a whole lot harder to break.

The more speed computers gain, the faster the programs can run, which allows hackers to break your more traditional one word password and variations thereof, and if you have used your pets name with it’s year of birth, then chances are your password is days away from being cracked.

Another solution:

Another great way to get around using the perfect password, if you are like me, and cannot recall what password you put to which website login, is to use a password keeper type software. There are loads of them out there, and many are free, here is just a couple… Keeping in mind that it is not infallible, and is only as good as your main password that you use to gain access to all of your passwords.

Roboform: a paid program that works on all devices and requires a master password to gain access to your passwords, this software also encrypts your data. www.roboform.com

Lastpass:  a free and paid program that also works on all devices, best suited to the home user, and works with every known browser. Log in to recall your passwords, online or anywhere. This one even suggests passwords based on a completely random event, and will save them for you. All data is SHA 256 bit encrypted.  https://lastpass.com 

 

Conclusion:

So there you have it, a great way to create an infallible password, but there is one last thing you need to remember, something not many people actually do. Keep a different combination of your password for each website you visit. You may want to change a letter or a symbol, your choice, but make sure each website has something different. Too many times have we seen peoples accounts hacked, and then the linked accounts also hacked because they use the same password.

Another good rule of thumb, is to change your passwords periodically, reset yourself every 12 months, and go through changing your passwords.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it; Make it as hard as possible for hackers.

 

 

 

My Southern Downs | GraniteNet Inc. receives no endorsement or income from any companies mentioned in this article. GraniteNet Inc.  accepts no liability for information provided and is intended as a guide only based upon accurately researched information. Further information on Bill Burr can be found here: http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/technology/creator-of-p4ssword-rules-apologises/news-story/abbff1ab305071e94239418f7906e033

 

Published by: A. Williamson 10-8-2017