Direct Technology Group Blog

Direct Technology Group provides professional IT Support and Network Services for Businesses around Deerfield Beach. Computer Services, Tech Support, IT Solutions and more!

Tip of the Week: Make Your Password Rhyme Every Time

b2ap3_thumbnail_security_for_your_passwords_400.jpgPassword security is quite the conundrum. We want our passwords to be easy to remember, but the problem is that passwords that are easy to remember are often simple and insecure. Therefore, it becomes a best practice to use complicated passwords with both upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols to compensate. The “passpoem” might resolve this issue in the most obvious way.

The method in question suggests that passwords chosen by your average PC user aren’t nearly as secure as they should be, but are very easy to remember. As explained in an essay from the university of Southern California, written by Marjan Ghazvininejad and Kevin Knight, it’s best to use randomly generated 60-bit strings (basically, a series of 60 ones and zeros), and convert these strings into words or phrases.

Confused? Let us explain a little more in detail. This method is derived from a XKCD comic (which you can find here) that describes the difficulty of remembering passwords. Basically, what it entails is taking a string of numbers, like 10101101010100101101010101010101010110101101, and converting segments of this code into words to create an English phrase. The above string would wind up reading “correct horse battery staple,” which is complete and utter nonsense, but very easy to remember by associating it with a mental image or a story.

Rather than use a 44-bit string like the above example, Ghazvininejad and Knight suggest using a 60-bit string to increase security, and to create a poem-like string of words that makes sense and is easy to remember. Going too in-depth into this method would take a considerable amount of time to explain, but the basic idea is to create something that’s easy to remember while making it borderline impossible for a computer to guess. By today’s standards, the 44-bit string would take around an hour to crack, while a 60-bit string would take well over a decade. How’s that for secure?

While using segments from existing poems is a possibility, Knight and Ghazvininejad don’t suggest doing so. Considering how there are millions of poems online, the chances of getting hacked are much higher than if the string of characters were truly random. However, while using a line from your favorite poem isn’t as secure as a string of 60 characters, it’s certainly more secure than using a simple password like “MOM385” or “password.” On one hand, you’re using real words that can be used in a dictionary attack; but on the other, you’re using a long password (which is a best practice). So, it’s really up to you to decide how you want to approach password security.

Of course, you’ll need multiple passwords for all of your different accounts. This in itself can make memorizing passwords a huge pain. Therefore, the best way that you can remember all of your passwords and effectively use them to maximize your account security, is by taking advantage of a password manager. Direct Technology Group can help your business get set up with the best password manager on the market. To learn more, give us a call at (954) 739-4700.

Why the Cloud is the Best Option For Your Data’s B...
Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, Which Video Service Make...
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Guest
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Thursday, 07 November 2024

Captcha Image

Blog Archive

2014
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

Mobile? Grab this Article

QR Code
Request a Consultation

Direct Technology Group strives to provide the best comprehensive IT, Computer, and Networking services to small businesses. We can handle all of your organization's technology challenges.

Contact Us
Contact Us

Learn more about what Direct Technology Group can do for your business.

1358 W Newport Center Dr
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442

Call us: (954) 739-4700

News & Updates
Direct Technology Group is proud to announce the launch of our new website at www.directtechnologygroup.com. The goal of the new website is to make it easier for our existing clients to submit and manage support requests, and provide more information about our services for ...