March 2010

Online Security
Are Your Passwords Safe?

Do you have a lot of passwords to remember? Remembering your passwords to your personal email, school email, Facebook account, LinkedIn account, DCU PC Branch account, and shopping web sites can get tough. It is no wonder with all of these passwords to remember that some individuals decide to take the easy way out. According to a study done by Imperva, around 1% used 123456 as a password. Using weak passwords makes it easier for hackers to take control of your account. Therefore, it is in your best interest to create strong passwords.

 
  Most Used Passwords
According to Imperva, the top 10 most used passwords are:
  1. 123456
  2. 12345
  3. 123456789
  4. password
  5. iloveyou
  6. princess
  7. RockYou
  8. 1234567
  9. 12345678
  10. abc123
  
 
A great way to create a strong password is to follow these steps:
  1. Write down a sentence that you can remember easily.
    It is best to use 10 words or more. Example: I look forward to receiving my Show Me newsletter every month.
  2. Take the first letter of each word in your sentence.
    ilftrmsmnem (11 characters)
  3. Make all the letters in the first half of the alphabet a capital.
    ILFtrMsMnEM (11 characters)
  4. Add two numbers to the sentence.
    ILFtrMsMnEM26 (13 characters)
  5. Place a punctuation mark in the beginning.
    ?ILFtrMsMnEM26 (14 characters)
  6. Place a symbol at the end.
    ?ILFtrMsMnEM26% (15 characters)

Microsoft offers a secure password checker that enables you to check the strength of your passwords. Take this opportunity and check your password strength!

Source: Microsoft

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