Information Security

Creating Secure Passwords

AWARENESS - Password Security

Passwords are a good first line of defense against people being able to access your digital information. But to have a good password, you need to know how to make a strong one and how to keep it safe.

Creating and Using Passwords

Choose a password 8 to 14 characters in length that contain numbers, letters (upper and lower case), and special characters (!@#$&).

Tip: Choose a word and then put some numbers and characters into it. For example, 'yogurt' becomes 'Y8ogu33rt'.
Tip: Choose an easy to remember phrase, make it an acronym and insert numbers and characters. For example, "This City is a great place to live!" could become 'TCiaGr8ptl!'

Remember, password cracking is a common way hackers break into systems.

For more information, please refer to Choosing Good Passwords - Simple Rules.

If you need a way to store all your passwords so they are relatively secure here are several different solutions we recommend:

Secure Password Storage applications

Still not convinced?

Read the article Passwords: The Weakest Link? Hackers crack most in less than a minute:
http://news.com.com/2009-1001-916719.html?tag=fd_lede.

Want to test the strength of certain passwords? Don't use your real passwords - but test something similar: Password Strength Meter.

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Last Updated: December 1, 2009
Website Contact:

David Matthews