Protect Your Online Accounts!

Almost everything you do online is protected by a password. Everything from checking your email to submitting Associated Content articles to checking your eBay watch list. Sites like Amazon.com can store your credit card information in your Amazon account, which requires a password. Paypal accounts can access your bank accounts with nothing more than a password. The password is truly the most commonly used security measure on the internet.

Unfortunately in many cases, its a false security.

I work in the IT department of a major university. One day when my boss was out of the office, we needed access to files stored on his computer, which required a password to log in. We were unable to reach him at home or on his cell, so we thought we were in trouble. Without those files, our work could not proceed. So, in a last ditch effort, I sat down at his computer and tried to guess his password.

Five minutes later, I was sending the files to the printer. His password was the model name and number of the Motorola radio sitting in its charger next to his monitor.

This is just one example of the dozens of ways people create bad, weak passwords. I'm going to share with you a very strong password that I used to use (but don't anymore). The password is very easy for me to remember, since its composed of things that I will never forget. I challenge you to figure out what any of those things are.

The password is: LP16&)r414d*

Figured it out yet? I'll clue you in at the end of the article.

Lets go over what makes that password strong.

First off, its not a word. Words are much easier to guess than random strings of numbers and letters.

Its twelve characters long. The longer a password is, the stronger it is, simply because there's more combinations of what it could be. Twelve characters isn't huge, but its reasonable for things like personal email accounts. Passwords that protect sensitive information, like your Paypal account, should be as long as allowed.

Similarly, make sure your password is composed of as many different kinda of characters as possible. If its just numbers, that only gives you 10 different possibilities for each character. Just letters gives you 26. If you use both, and if the letters are case sensitive (an 'a' is different than an 'A'), than you've got 62 different possible characters. Add in special characters, like @ or &, and you've got tons of possibilities. The more possibilities, the harder it is to break.

Don't use any information thats easy to figure out. Phone numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, all these things can be looked up without a lot of trouble.

Don't use the same password for everything. Use as many different ones as possible. For high risk accounts that store financial or personal information, try to use a unique password.

Most importantly, DON'T WRITE IT DOWN! I cannot count the number of times I've walked into someone's office to find their password, written on a post-it and stuck to the side of their monitor. Even the best passwords become public knowledge if their written down. Don't use things that are already written down either, like the model name and number of your radio.

So how to you come up with such a random password? Well, you could use a random number generator, assign each letter of the alphabet a number, and use it to make one. But thats a pain. You can also use one thats already been created for you. Anything that requires a code, like the Coke Rewards program, usually has a string of random numbers and letters there for you. Grab a bottle of Coke, memorize the code under the cap, and throw it out. There's your new password.

But if you don't write it down, how will you remember it? Well, there's a few different ways. One is to keep it on a piece of paper in your pocket and use it like a flashcard to memorize it. Then, burn or shred the paper. Then there's my way, which is a lot more effective.

Remember that password I told you earlier? Probably not, but I sure do!

LP16&)r414d*

The first 6 characters are the last two numbers in the License Plate I had when I was 16 years old, 70 (or &), if you write it in the corresponding special characters). The next 4 are my brother, ryan's birthday, 4-14. The last two are the age I was when I got my first dog, 8 (again, written in its corresponding special character, *).

So there you go. A password that I can remember easily, because it's real information, but information that anyone else would have a hard time figuring out. I use a combination of upper and lower case, and even throw in some special characters, and when it's done it looks like just a random string of characters. I can use that password to keep my internet information safe.