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Keys to password strength: length and complexity

An ideal password is long and has letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers.

• Whenever possible, use at least 14 characters or more.
• The greater the variety of characters in your password, the better.
• Use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often.

Create a strong password you can remember

There are many ways to create a long, complex password. Here is one way that may make remembering it easier:

Test your password with a password checker

A password checker evaluates your password’s strength automatically.

Protect your passwords from prying eyes

• The easiest way to “remember” passwords is to write them down.
  It is okay to write passwords down, but keep them secure.

Common password pitfalls to avoid

Cyber criminals use sophisticated tools that can rapidly decipher passwords.

Avoid creating passwords using:

• Dictionary words in any language.
  Words in all languages are vulnerable.
• Words spelled backwards, common misspellings, and abbreviations.
  Words in all languages are vulnerable.
• Sequences or repeated characters.
  Examples: 12345678, 222222, abcdefg, or adjacent letters on your keyboard (qwerty).
• Personal information.
  Your name, birthday, driver’s license, passport number, or similar information.

Hoax – An e-mail that usually states that it is harming the computer, but does not actually do what it says. Some hoaxes ask the reader of the e-mail to perform a damaging process, such as deleting an important file. Most hoaxes are spread by people who do not know that the e-mail is a hoax and who are hoping to alert others to a potential virus.
Phishing – Methods used to try to and move people browsing the Internet to a malicious Web site. When a person visits the Web site, the Internet browser tries to read malformed code on the page and induces a security hole or the Web page itself is designed to look similar to another popular Web page (to collect credit card or other personal information).
Security Vulnerability – A weakness in software that allows unwanted activity inside the operating system.
Trojan or Trojan Horse – A software program usually created to make a computer less secure. The software usually looks similar to a useful file that a person would want to open. The payload of a Trojan is usually delivered when the file opens and usually has devastating results. Trojans are often used to create back-doors (a program that allows outside access into a secure network). Trojans are most often delivered as an e-mail attachment or through security vulnerabilities while browsing the Internet.
Virus – A software program that copies itself into another program, a hidden space on a drive, or items that support scripts. Most viruses copy only themselves, while a minority unleash a payload – actions caused by the virus. Payloads can damage files, deliver Trojan files, corrupt hard drives, display messages, or open other files. Typically, payloads deliver when a certain condition occurs, such as when the date on the computer reaches a particular day.
A virus variant is a virus that has been altered to take advantage of the original virus code. By doing this, the virus variant is easier to create, creating more virus versions.
Worm – Another form of virus that finds vulnerable computers and copies itself to those systems. The most frequent methods of propagation are from e-mail distribution lists, e-mail signature scripts, and shared folders on the network. Worms might or might not have a damaging payload. The typical payload for a worm makes a computer more susceptible to other viruses and Trojans.