The importance of choosing a good password
It is surprising to me how common the practice of using the same password for all your logins is. Without a doubt it is hugely convenient to not have to remember dozens of password for each of the websites and other internet services you may use on a daily or weekly basis.
However, in a world where any and all information is right at our fingertips, we must consider how we are making it for our information to get in front of the wrong fingertips! If we use one password for everything, then if that password is ever compromised then so may our identity and security. We need to work to keep our personal identities safe.
Most experts suggest that everyone should choose at least two different passwords; a reasonably complex one for web sites where security is critical, such as online banking, and an easier to remember one for places where there is “less to lose”, such as social networking and entertainment sites.
You don’t have to go overboard when you to create more complex passwords; simple techniques like substituting numbers for letters and adding an extra character (e.g. # or $) can be enough. Here’s a few tips to use for creating passwords:
- Select one with 8 or more characters
- Add a capital letter, number, and some form of punctuation mark (ex. Pa33w0rd!)
- Never use your street name or your own name in a password
Here is a list of the top 32 user passwords that got hacked from a company that makes software for social media sites like Facebook and MySpace:
Most popular passwords:
- 123456
- 12345
- 123456789
- password
- iloveyou
- princess
- rockyou
- 1234567
- 12345678
- abc123
- nicole
- daniel
- babygirl
- monkey
- jessica
- lovely
- michael
- ashley
- 654321
- qwerty
- iloveu
- michelle
- 111111
- 0
- tigger
- password1
- sunshine
- chocolate
- anthony
- angel
- FRIENDS
- soccer
Source: New York Times
Now, um, if you happen to be using one of these passwords now would be a good time to change it! 😉