Tips for creating a good password

By Joshua Erdman
Digital Foundation, inc.

It is not uncommon for someone to try to hack into a computer system. Your local computer nerd (the guy who controls the internet computers you connect to) does everything in his/her power to make it secure but needs you to do your part as well.

That is why you need to select WISE passwords not dictionary words or any of the above-mentioned examples. Every password should be at least 7 characters long and include at least one capital letter, one number, one lowercase letter and a symbol (&, *, @, etc). A good example of a password is: 3Bm$htr

Right now you are probably asking yourself, How am I going to remember that?!

Its easy, the password above is an acronym taken from:
3 Blind mice, $ee how they run.

Making a good password is that easy.

Now for the hard part, you should change your password often. A password is no good if someone has seen you type it. How often you change your password should be determined by the importance of the account. If you a different passwords (one for for public accounts such as newsgroups) that password password should be changed every six months. Whereas a password that is used for logging in your company network or the password you use for your personal e-mail should be changed more often.

References:
Staying Secure when placing Orders Online

Article last reviewed: 12/30/2005

Created by: Digital Foundation, inc.

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