Safety & Security

Change Your Passwords Today

Recently, my Yahoo email account was compromised. A bogus link was sent to everyone in my contacts list. Grrr. Why does this happen?

Often, it’s a weak password to blame. Let’s say your password is “Fluffy1”. I know, I love my cats too!

Problem is, a computer program can run through the English dictionary (about 60,000 words), tack on a number, and keeping trying until it strikes a match and sails right on into your password protected email, photos, or even your bank accounts.

Please – don’t use weak passwords! I know it’s a challenge keeping up with what feels like hundreds of them, so here are some tips to help make it easier.

  • DON’T use a password that has anything to do with you personally (children or pets’ names, street you live on, etc)
  • Even better – DON’T use a word you can find in the dictionary
  • DO use a password of at least 8 characters
  • DO use a mnemonic to help you remember a string of characters
  • DO replace numbers and symbols for letters, for example “$” instead of “S” or “3” instead of “E”.
Mnemonic Abbreviate Add symbols
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe twaowwlias twa0wwlia$
Yankee Doodle came to town, ridin’ on a pony ydcttroap Ydc2tr0ap
I graduated #1 from Yale University Law school ig#1fyuls Ig#1fYuls!

You can try to use the same password for all of your sites, or for even more protection, add a prefix or suffix to indicate the site, for example “tr” at the beginning or end of your chosen password for “Target”.

2 Comments

  1. Trust Your Passwords to the Cloud? Not Without an Umbrella. | Digital Zen

    02/11/2012 at 5:05 pm

    […] is easier to do than you think. Come up with a phrase or rhyme, take the first letter of each word, replace some letters with […]

  2. Dig Up Your Roots with Some Genealogy Fun | Digital Zen

    02/13/2012 at 2:08 pm

    […] to join, and watch the tree grow! Remember that mothers’ maiden names are valuable, so use a strong password to protect your account. If you want to expand beyond 250 relatives, annual membership is $75. […]

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