Short, simple passwords, though easy to remember, can be a liability. They are easy to guess and with password cracking programs take only seconds to get right.
So what is considered a strong password?
Weak Passwords
- Plain words (eg. “optometry” or “abc”) are easily guessed by a computer with a dictionary.
- Names of family and pets, or their birthdays, are easy guesses for people who know you.
Moderate Passwords
- Mixing numbers and special characters (eg. “s@ndW1ch”) does make passwords harder to guess correctly but also harder for you to remember.
Strong Passwords
- Strong passwords are ones that are LONG. A few words strung together or a phrase (eg. “ShinyFishHats”) makes it both hard to guess for humans, and exponentially harder for computers to work out. These can also be easier for you to remember than mixing characters.
Now that you know what makes a password strong, take the time to revisit your passwords to make sure that they are difficult to crack!
