One Step Ahead: Almanac Security Tips - 2013

Table of Contents (view all)

Spring Cleaning Your Office? Know What to Do with E-Waste
Keep Your Identity Safe When Filing Taxes This Year
Why use Penn+Box when Storing Data in the Cloud
Mobile Device Security - 3 Recommendations for Cloud Users (Hint: That's You!)
Be Aware of QR Code Risks
It’s Data Privacy Month: Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings and More
How Are You Celebrating Data Privacy Month?
Stay Secure while Working on Public Wi-Fi Networks
Protecting Your Finances During This Year's Holiday Shopping Season
Cloud and You
Security and Privacy Online Training & Tools
October: Free Secure Disposal of Paper and Electronics at Employee Resource Fair; NCSAM
Student Privacy - What Do I Need To Know? A FERPA Reminder
Top 10 Tips for Securing Your Smartphone or Tablet
Working Off Campus? Some Tips to Consider

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Tagged with hackers , passwords

Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - Almanac Vol. 53, No. 6

Create strong, "uncrackable" passwords to foil hackers

You may not realize it, but the number one reason computers get hacked is weak passwords. To protect against hackers, who use automated password-cracking dictionaries to gain access to online accounts and individual PCs, be sure to use strong, hard-to-guess passwords with the following characteristics:

• Are at least 8 characters long
• Contain no words found in English or foreign language dictionaries
• Contain no words found in specialized dictionaries, including those used by hackers, which include names, proper nouns, and popular words from non-standard sources such as music, movies, and video games
• Contain a mixture of at least three of the following: uppercase letters, lower case letters, digits (0-9), and special characters (%*!, etc.)
• Contain no personal information such as your birth date.

To create a strong password, think of a phrase that has meaning only to you; for example, "My son Charlie Jones goes to school in Bryn Mawr, PA". Take the first letter from each word to create a password that is nearly uncrackable yet not hard to remember: "MsCJgtsiBMPA". To make it even tougher to crack, use digits and special characters: "MsCJg2siBM,PA". If you find it necessary to write down your password, don"t leave it in an accessible spot or share it with anyone.