On my previous post i mentioned about email passwords that have been released online. If incase you have a hotmail, live.com, or if you think that you might have compromised your accounts security by logging in to insecure sites or you just want to secure your online accounts, i would suggest you change your password now to a more secure one.
I would suggest that you check the strength of your password using Microsoft’s word checker here.
A strong password should contains both letters and numbers as well as special characters and should be at least 8 characters long. It should also have a mix of upper and lower case letters. Also try to prevent using common words found on dictionaries because they can easily be cracked by brute-force password attacks. One good way to make a password is something that you can easily remember but hard for others to guess.
Here’ what Microsoft suggests:
- Think of a sentence that you will remember
Example: “My son Aiden is three years old.”- Turn your sentence into a password
Use the first letter of each word of your memorable sentence to create a string, in this case: “msaityo”.- Add complexity to your password or pass phrase
Mix uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. Introduce intentional misspellings.
For example, in the sentence above, you might substitute the number 3 for the word “three”, so a password might be “MsAi3yo”.- Substitute some special characters
Use symbols that look like letters, combine words, or replace letters with numbers to make the password complex.
Using these strategies, you might end up with the password “M$8ni3y0.”
Here are some password strategies that you also need to avoid:
Avoid sequences or repeated characters
“12345678,” “222222,” “abcdefg,” or adjacent letters on your keyboard do not make secure passwords.
Avoid using only look-alike substitutions of numbers or symbols
Criminals will not be fooled by common look-alike replacements, such as to replace an ‘i’ with a ‘1′ or an ‘a’ with ‘@’ as in “M1cr0$0ft” or “P@ssw0rd”.
These substitutions can be effective when combined with other measures, such as length, misspellings, or variations in case.
Avoid your login name
Don’t use any part of your name, birthday, social security number, or similar information for your loved ones.
This type of information is one of the first things criminals will try, and they can find it easily online from social networking sites, online resumes, and other public sources of data.
Avoid dictionary words in any language
Criminals use sophisticated tools that can rapidly guess passwords that are based on words in multiple dictionaries, including words spelled backwards, common misspellings, profanity, and substitutions.
Avoid using only one password for all your accounts
If your password is compromised on any one of the computers or online systems that use it, you should consider all of your other information protected by that password compromised as well.
It is critical to use different passwords for different systems.
Be careful with password recovery questions
Many Web sites offer a “password ” service that lets you provide the answer to a secret question. If you forget your password, the service will send it to you if you can remember the answer to your secret question.
The questions are often random, but sometimes the answers to these questions are freely available on the Web. Choose your questions carefully or make up the answers.
Avoid using online storage
If criminals find your passwords stored online or on a networked computer, they have access to all your information.
Avoid sequences or repeated characters
“12345678,” “222222,” “abcdefg,” or adjacent letters on your keyboard do not make secure passwords.
Avoid using only look-alike substitutions of numbers or symbols
Criminals will not be fooled by common look-alike replacements, such as to replace an ‘i’ with a ‘1′ or an ‘a’ with ‘@’ as in “M1cr0$0ft” or “P@ssw0rd“.
These substitutions can be effective when combined with other measures, such as length, misspellings, or variations in case.
Avoid your login name
Don’t use any part of your name, birthday, social security number, or similar information for your loved ones.
This type of information is one of the first things criminals will try, and they can find it easily online from social networking sites, online resumes, and other public sources of data.
Avoid dictionary words in any language
Criminals use sophisticated tools that can rapidly guess passwords that are based on words in multiple dictionaries, including words spelled backwards, common misspellings, profanity, and substitutions.
Avoid using only one password for all your accounts
If your password is compromised on any one of the computers or online systems that use it, you should consider all of your other information protected by that password compromised as well.
It is critical to use different passwords for different systems.
Be careful with password recovery questions
Many Web sites offer a “password ” service that lets you provide the answer to a secret question. If you forget your password, the service will send it to you if you can remember the answer to your secret question.
The questions are often random, but sometimes the answers to these questions are freely available on the Web. Choose your questions carefully or make up the answers.
Avoid using online storage
If criminals find your passwords stored online or on a networked computer, they have access to all your information
