I’m keeping this one. The rules most companies put out for passwords are totally arbitrary and make it difficult to come up with good passwords.
To understand why you have to understand how a password system works: welcome to computer security 101.
There have been companies in the past that have been totally negligent in the way they store passwords. That is they stored them unencrypted. Responsible companies store them encrypted.
So you come up with a password, when you type it, the application encrypts it and compares it with the encrypted password on file. If they match, you get logged in. This is a one way process. You can’t de-encrypt a password.
So what hackers do is first they try all the “standard” passwords lazy people use. This isn’t low hanging fruit, It’s like picking it and loading it on the truck for them. Then they try various combinations of letters, numbers and symbols and encrypt them and compare them to your encrypted password.
There are approximately 75 different characters one can type on a keyboard. So if you use a single character the hacker has to take 75 different guesses. However for each character the complexity goes up by a factor of 75. The longer the password, the more difficult it is to hack considering the hacker doesn’t know what the length of the password is, so combinations of 6 , 7, 8, etc. all have to be tried. With each attempt the task takes 75 times longer. So hackers probably give up at between 5 and 10 characters.
Note that it doesn’t matter what these characters are: I_feel_fine is just as likely to be hacked as ^G_zqP&3g6aT. One of these is easier to remember.
So try things like 12/7/1941-PearlHarbor. This password should meet most $illy-@$$ password “rules.” except those that LIMIT you to 20 characters.
There are online password checkers. According to one of them, the password cited above should take 336 sextillion years to crack.
Special symbols are no longer the barrier to password hacking they once were. Even the guy who invented the password, now says to use a longer, easy to remember passphrase. If you’re clever, you can come up with one you can type with one hand.
Imagine almost 3 years ago
Cymbollically speaking.
Ratkin Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Two cymbals, in fact. He keeps them under his desk in the lower case.
dflak almost 3 years ago
I’m keeping this one. The rules most companies put out for passwords are totally arbitrary and make it difficult to come up with good passwords.
To understand why you have to understand how a password system works: welcome to computer security 101.
There have been companies in the past that have been totally negligent in the way they store passwords. That is they stored them unencrypted. Responsible companies store them encrypted.
So you come up with a password, when you type it, the application encrypts it and compares it with the encrypted password on file. If they match, you get logged in. This is a one way process. You can’t de-encrypt a password.
So what hackers do is first they try all the “standard” passwords lazy people use. This isn’t low hanging fruit, It’s like picking it and loading it on the truck for them. Then they try various combinations of letters, numbers and symbols and encrypt them and compare them to your encrypted password.
There are approximately 75 different characters one can type on a keyboard. So if you use a single character the hacker has to take 75 different guesses. However for each character the complexity goes up by a factor of 75. The longer the password, the more difficult it is to hack considering the hacker doesn’t know what the length of the password is, so combinations of 6 , 7, 8, etc. all have to be tried. With each attempt the task takes 75 times longer. So hackers probably give up at between 5 and 10 characters.
Note that it doesn’t matter what these characters are: I_feel_fine is just as likely to be hacked as ^G_zqP&3g6aT. One of these is easier to remember.
So try things like 12/7/1941-PearlHarbor. This password should meet most $illy-@$$ password “rules.” except those that LIMIT you to 20 characters.
There are online password checkers. According to one of them, the password cited above should take 336 sextillion years to crack.
gopher gofer almost 3 years ago
he thought this was easier than #ing on his keyboard…
Zebrastripes almost 3 years ago
Just what we needed…..more pings, clangs and bangs!
HMETALNYMETSVAL Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Sounds like it! Lol!
Zen-of-Zinfandel almost 3 years ago
His old one expired: RockULikeaHurricane
Lablubber almost 3 years ago
Sorry. That password is all ready in use.
The Brooklyn Accent almost 3 years ago
Logging on shouldn’t be a humdrum process.
comixbomix almost 3 years ago
Better than adding one of his digits.
mistercatworks almost 3 years ago
Special symbols are no longer the barrier to password hacking they once were. Even the guy who invented the password, now says to use a longer, easy to remember passphrase. If you’re clever, you can come up with one you can type with one hand.
cuzinron47 almost 3 years ago
I don’t think those cymbals are allowed.
Daeder almost 3 years ago
“My password keeps crashing.”