Suggested IT Security Resources
Creating a Strong Password
Create passwords that are unique and hard to guess.
A password is how you prove you are you. Read the links below to help you create a strong password. Generally, at least 15 characters would be recommended to prevent password brute-forcing attacks. In 2012, any eight-character Windows password could be broken by hobbyists in a few hours.
DO NOT USE ANY of the Passwords OR Passphrases used as examples on this page for YOUR ACTUAL PASSWORD!
Strong Passphrases
Passphrases are longer and more complex than passwords. They are easier to remember, but more difficult to guess.
Method A: Use a phrase to make a complex password
Instead of using "Tiger123" which is an easy password to guess why not make it longer and easy to remember, an example is "Tigers@reTheNumber1Animal"
Method B: Choose a phrase you can remember and reduce it to the first letters of each word, working in some numbers, capitalization, and punctuation.
Using the phrase "The Earth is an amazing place that belongs to all of us!" we can create a random secure password of
TE1aaPTBTa0U! by replacing the I with a 1, the O with a Zero the A to lowercase gives a very strong password.
Good - Passwords
A good password will meet the following requirements
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An English uppercase character (A-Z)
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An English lowercase character (a-z)
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A number (0-9) and/or symbol (such as !, #, or %)
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12 or more characters total.
One way to do this is to start with a word you will remember:
Bookworms
Then heavily modify it with special characters, numbers, and mixed capitalization.
b0-OK&wurms
Bad - Things to Avoid
- Birthdates - Examples: 19XX, 20XX, other anniversaries or famous years like 1916 or 2000
- Password - Examples: pass, password, p@$$word or any variant
- Names - Examples: pets, spouses, children, grandchildren, celebrities
- Personal Information - Examples: your name, email address, phone number, or social security number
- Keyboard Patterns or Sequences - Examples: qwerty, asdf, 123456,abc123