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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: Police Enhance Security at Miami-Dade Youth Fair After Stampede NBC 6 South Florida
Report: Ramming attack suspect was officer in PA security services The Times of Israel Documents show Security Costs for Nathan Fletcher ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV DL Security Incident | Department of Public Safety the Texas Department of Public Safety Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Threats to ... United States Mission to the United Nations Online Briefing with Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary for Civilian Security ... Department of State TSA officers stop Tweed New Haven Airport’s first firearm - Transportation Security Administration TSA officers stop Tweed New Haven Airport’s first firearm Transportation Security Administration How Chinese Private Security Companies in Africa Differ From Russia’s Voice of America - VOA News Lawmakers seek $75 million security grant for Milwaukee to host RNC Milwaukee Journal Sentinel WATCH: Dodgers fan gets crushed by security guard after running on field to propose to girlfriend CBS Sports Energy security is trumping climate concerns Financial Times NYC Ramps Up Security Again Ahead of Possible Grand Jury Action Against Trump, Police Sources Say NBC New York Ypsilanti man pleads guilty to making false statements on security ... WDIV ClickOnDetroit British Semiconductor Maker May Close Due To National Security Dispute With Chinese Parent Company Forbes NYC Ups Security Again After Trump Indictment, NYPD Orders Officers Report in Uniform - NBC New York Man arrested over secretly recording Republicans prompts Senate to change security policies NBC News As threats to our national security grow, the Biden administration ... Washington Examiner TSA Honors Jacksonville Transit Authority with Gold Standard ... Transportation Security Administration USENIX Security ’22 – Johannes Wikner, Kaveh Razavi – ‘RETBLEED: Arbitrary Speculative ... Security Boulevard Mayor of Niagara Falls launches program to encourage more businesses to install security cameras WKBW 7 News Buffalo Murdaugh moved to protective custody at maximum security SC prison Live 5 News WCSC Underwood Condemns Republican Plan to Cut Food Security ... Lauren Underwood Commerce Department Outlines Proposed National Security ... US Department of Commerce Modi Meets Patrushev, Says Russia Security Council Foreign Policy Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Tackle National Security ... Senator Mark Warner Digest of Recent Articles on Just Security (Mar. 25-31) Just Security China urges Apple to improve security and privacy The Register TSA issues new cybersecurity requirements for airport and aircraft ... Transportation Security Administration Fact Sheet: Biden Administration's National Security Memorandum ... Homeland Security Russian Court Orders Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan ... The Wall Street Journal National security law’s effects undercut Hong Kong freedoms, says US report South China Morning Post Society Hill residents pool money to hire a private security guard for the summer The Philadelphia Inquirer FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Budget Strengthens Border ... The White House Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for ... Department of Defense Why TikTok's security risks keep raising fears The Associated Press S. Korea national security advisor resigns after alleged Blackpink White House invite blunder Yahoo News Russian UN Security Council presidency is absurd, says Zelensky FRANCE 24 English Feds Charge NY Man as BreachForums Boss “Pompompurin ... Krebs on Security TikTok CEO's Message to Washington: A Sale Won't Solve Security ... The Wall Street Journal Jenkins Security Alert: New Security Flaws Could Allow Code ... The Hacker News Officials are preparing security in case of Trump indictment The Associated Press |
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