Passwords are a common form of authentication and are often the only barrier
between a user and your personal information. There are several programs
attackers can use to help guess or "crack" passwords, but by choosing good
passwords and keeping them confidential, you can make it more difficult for an
unauthorized person to access your information.
Why do
you need a password?
Think about the number of personal identification numbers (PINs), passwords,
or passphrases you use every day: getting money from the ATM or using your debit
card in a store, logging on to your computer or email, signing in to an online
bank account or shopping cart...the list seems to just keep getting longer.
Keeping track of all of the number, letter, and word combinations may be
frustrating at times, and maybe you've wondered if all of the fuss is worth it.
After all, what attacker cares about your personal email account, right? Or why
would someone bother with your practically empty bank account when there are
others with much more money? Often, an attack is not specifically about your
account but about using the access to your information to launch a larger
attack.
One of the best ways to protect information or physical property is to ensure
that only authorized people have access to it. Verifying that someone is the
person they claim to be is the next step, and this authentication process is
even more important, and more difficult, in the cyber world.
Passwords are the most common means of authentication, but if you don't
choose good passwords or keep them confidential, they're almost as ineffective
as not having any password at all. Many systems and services have been
successfully broken into due to the use of insecure and inadequate passwords,
and some viruses and worms have exploited systems by guessing weak
passwords.
How do
you choose a good password?
Most people use passwords that are based on personal information and are easy
to remember. However, that also makes it easier for an attacker to guess or
"crack" them. Consider a four-digit PIN number. Is yours a combination of the
month, day, or year of your birthday? Or your address or phone number? Think
about how easily it is to find this information out about somebody. What about
your email password
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