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Security Information |
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Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords
In the past I've never really paid much attention to security issues when it comes to user names and passwords. Frankly I figured it was all a lot of overblown hype. This led to an unfortunate incident that involved my website being attacked, apparently by a skillful youth with a propensity for mischief. The main security flaw with my website was probably the simple fact that the username and password were exactly the same. Granted I did realize that this wasn't highly intelligent but I didn't have the power to change it myself, and I didn't think it really mattered enough to bother about it. Having an identical username and password is a massive "no-no" in computer security. Your username and password should not even be related along the same line of thought. A username of "Dragon" and a password of "Fire" is not a secure combination. For maximum security, passwords should not be cohesive words or phrases and should not be too obviously related to something like your birthday or the birthday of someone close to you. Personal information is one of the first things used when people attempt to break passwords. Having a password of "Password" is indeed humorous and ironic but it is not in the least bit secure. A "brute force" password hacking technique involves using certain rules and guidelines to take a guess at possible passwords and generally works through a dictionary of sorts, trying combinations of possible words and common characters. Your best bet at creating a secure password is to pick a random collection of letters, numbers, and symbols, including varying case changes (in a password the letter "a" is not the same as the letter "A", so alternating at random between upper and lower case will increase the difficulty encountered in cracking your password). Selecting a sequence of characters on the keyboard (such as "asdf" or, worse, "1234") definitely does not create a secure, random password. Having symbols in your password is an easy way to greatly increase security. These are the special characters accessed by holding the "Shift" key and pressing one of the numbers at the top of the keyboard. If you want to truly expand your arsenal of special characters, try holding down the "alt" key and pressing a combination of numbers on the num pad (the rectangular collection of numbers on the right hand side of most keyboards) then release "alt". For example, holding "alt" and pressing numbers, 1 then 6 then 8 and releasing "alt" will give the character "�". Most combinations of 3 numbers will enter a different symbol into your password. This may make it a little harder to enter your password but it makes it a lot harder for anyone else to crack it. To make passwords easier to remember you can use something original, like the name of your favorite character in a book (personal information that other people won't know). Then add some numbers to it, perhaps use the "Leet speak" (check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet for exact definition) method of changing letters to numbers and generally mix things up so that to you it seems coherent and memorable but to an automated pattern recognizer it seems random. For example, "jAm35_5m1Th�" ("James Smith") is actually surprisingly secure. In this case the password's meaning is obvious to a human reader but it will take a lot of work for them to divine the password without prior knowledge. For additional security you should not use the one user name and password for every account that you have. If you do and someone manages to get hold of your details for one site they pretty much have the run of your digital life. It is not particularly vital to have perfect passwords for less important accounts (e.g. web based email from Hotmail, forums you visit etc.). These sites can quite happily be accessed using the same password. However, bank accounts, work email etc. should be made as secure as possible. Hopefully a few of these tips will assist you in making your online activities more secure. Keep these guidelines in mind, change your password on a semi regular basis, and with any luck you'll be able to avoid the hacking menace that befell me. M6.Net Web Helpers
MORE RESOURCES: Opinion | Banning TikTok Won’t Solve Your Data-Security Problem The Wall Street Journal He’s a Security Guard at the Met. Now His Work Is Showing There. The New York Times Why does Trump want Greenland and the Panama Canal so badly? One reason may surprise you - USA TODAY Japan links Chinese hacker MirrorFace to dozens of cyberattacks targeting security and tech data ABC News Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Nonproliferation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea United States Mission to the United Nations Sweet Security Partners with Illustria to Offer Proactive Open-Source Supply Chain Risk Management GlobeNewswire Krebs on Security – In-depth security news and investigation Krebs on Security One week later: New Orleans debates security, memorial grows, more chemicals found FOX 8 Local First New in 2025: Counties Should Prepare Now for the Upcoming HIPAA Security Rule Update National Association of Counties Special ops forces seek to manage digital footprints, achieve ‘security through obscurity’ DefenseScoop Pope to celebrate Jubilees for Communications, security forces Vatican News - English White House program to certify the security of IoT devices goes live Cybersecurity Dive U.S. citizen denied entry into Poland after security staff object to handwritten notes in passport ABC News Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Political and Humanitarian Situations in Syria United States Mission to the United Nations Stowaways on planes and inside landing gear raise worries about aviation security The Associated Press Brillion Achieves SOC 2 Type 2 Compliance, Reinforcing Commitment to Data Security and Privacy Business Wire Opinion | Biden’s ‘security’ concern about TikTok and U.S. Steel is doubly specious The Washington Post New Orleans Homeland Security criticized during terror attack probe WDSU New Orleans Border security is national security Foundation for Defense of Democracies Tidal Cyber Acquires Zero-Shot Security to Enhance Threat Intelligence Mapping Capabilities Business Wire The Rio Treaty's Security Pact and Unintended Consequences of Threatening Canada, Greenland, and Panama Just Security Swimlane Hero helps solve complex security operations problems Help Net Security Security guard catches DJ molesting 12-year-old boy at California mall, officials say Sacramento Bee UN aviation agency confirms recruitment database security breach BleepingComputer Who is Acronis’ New Chief Information Security Officer? Cyber Magazine AITX's RAD-R Welcomes Steve Danelon as President, Strengthening Leadership for Residential Security Solutions GlobeNewswire Fort Smith Public Schools to integrate AI gun detection software in security cameras Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Orange Bowl pep rally security includes surveillance cams, law enforcement on the ground - CBS Miami Security Industry Association Welcomes New Perimeter Security Subcommittee Leaders Security Sales & Integration BreachLock Unveils Unified Security Testing Platform for PTaaS, ASM, Continuous Pentesting, and Red Teaming PR Newswire Update on former Vigo County Security Annex demolition MyWabashValley.com Alois Brunner, the Nazi ‘butcher’ who trained Syrian security Al Jazeera English Marine Corps bases take increased security posture The Island News – Beaufort, SC When It Comes to Security, Europe Is Whistling Past the Graveyard World Politics Review Synology Launches ActiveProtect: Simplifying Enterprise Data Protection with Unmatched Security, and Scalability Business Wire Japan links Chinese hacker MirrorFace to dozens of cyberattacks targeting security and tech data The Associated Press Security and Sanctions in Post-Assad Syria The National Interest Online Security consultant denied profiteering in defamation case against CNN WMBB - mypanhandle.com 2025 Security Industry Predictions: Jon Adams, Vice President of Sales, DMP Security Sales & Integration Eric Trager tapped for Mideast slot on Trump’s National Security Council The Times of Israel Can Washington handle two weeks of high-security pomp along with a heavy burst of snow? The Associated Press Washington Township Police to launch security risk assessment program for businesses Bellefontaine Examiner New Orleans hires consultant to review security after Bourbon Street attack. See who has the job. NOLA.com New Orleans attack prompts tighter security in D.C. ahead of inauguration, Carter funeral The Chicago Cusader Newark Airport makes list of Top 10 craziest security catches New Jersey 101.5 FM Base steps up security measures following terrorist attacks Mountain Home News |
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