What
are passwords?
Passwords
are a common form of authentication
and are often the only barrier
between a hacker and your personal
information. There are several
software applications attackers
utilize to help guess or "crack"
passwords, but by choosing strong
passwords and keeping them confidential,
you can make it more difficult
for an unauthorized person to
access your personal information.
How do you choose strong passwords?
Most use passwords based on
personal information so that
they are easy to remember. However,
this common practice makes the
passwords vulnerable for an
attacker to "crack".
Is your password a combination
of the month, day, or year of
your birthday or is it the last
four digits of your social security
number, address, or phone number?
Think about how easy it is for
an identity thief to obtain
this information!!!
Is
your password one that can be
found in the dictionary? If
so, it may be susceptible to
"dictionary" attacks
– software used to crack
passwords based on words in
the dictionary.
Never
use the same password for every
website, ecommerce site, system,
or program you log into. If
an attacker guesses your password,
he will have access to all of
your confidential, financial,
and personal information. Always
use different usernames and
passwords for each login account.
Suggestions
for Strong Passwords
• Don't
use passwords that are based
on personal information.
• Don't
use words that can be found
in any dictionary of any language.
• Use
different passwords on every
login account.
• Use both
lowercase and capital letters.
• Use
a combination of letters, numbers,
and special characters.
• Use
Password Safe Pro's free Password
Generator. Click
Here
Suggestions for Protecting
Your Passwords
• Don't
write passwords down and leave
them where they can be found.
• Don't
leave passwords on your desk
or tape it your computer or
keyboard.
• Don't
give attackers password information
through phone calls or email.
• Don't
store passwords in text files.
• Don't
store passwords in spreadsheets.
• Don't
store passwords in unencrypted
databases.
• Never
allow email clients or web-browsers
to "Remember" your
passwords.
• Never
tell anyone your password.
There's
no guarantee that these techniques
will prevent an attacker from
"cracking" your password,
but they will make it more difficult.
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