Wiki source code of Password Security

Version 6.1 by Lauren Keller on 2019/01/22 12:05

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1 === {{id name="Passwords-Are-Complicated"/}}Passwords Are Complicated ===
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3 The best passwords are easy to remember and hard to break. This is no mean feat, as the two do not normally coexist; if a password is too difficult to remember ~-~- meaning it meets complexity requirements ~-~- it will likely wind up on a [[sticky note stuck to your monitor or in a desk drawer>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/security-and-human-factors/||shape="rect"]].
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5 === {{id name="Bad-Passwords-Are-Not-Secure"/}}Bad Passwords Are Not Secure ===
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7 If you need proof, pay a visit to [[';~~-~~-have i been pwned?>>url:https://haveibeenpwned.com/||shape="rect"]] and enter your email address. Or addresses. Optionally, you can check whether [[your password has been compromised>>url:https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords||shape="rect"]].
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9 [[If that doesn't concern you, it should>>url:https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/hacked-and-dumped-online-773-million-records-with-plaintext-passwords/||shape="rect"]]. The average person has about 25 online accounts and most people [[recycle their passwords>>url:https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+people+use+the+same+password+for+multiple+accounts&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS798US798&oq=how+many+people+use+the+same+password+for+multiple+accounts&aqs=chrome..69i57.9127j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8||shape="rect"]]. If you are among them, a single breach could invalidate all the security a "good" password would otherwise provide. It doesn't matter how strong a password happens to be; if it appears on-line you can never use it safely.
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11 === {{id name="What-Is-A-Good-Password?"/}}What Is A Good Password? ===
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13 As mentioned above: easy to remember and hard to break. Here's why they seldom coincide: to check how good your password is; you can use any number of tools. I happen to like [[this one>>url:https://random-ize.com/how-long-to-hack-pass/||shape="rect"]].
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15 === {{id name="Un-Complicate-Your-Passwords"/}}Un-Complicate Your Passwords ===
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17 Our brains can only hold so much. [[In this survey>>url:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515440/||shape="rect"]], 72% of the 263 participants had difficulty remembering their passwords. The results, as we already know, is we reuse and write down passwords. There are techniques for remembering important things like passwords, but when we can expect we'll have to [[remember even more passwords in the coming years>>url:https://techxplore.com/news/2018-12-passwords-ready.html||shape="rect"]], you may want to simplify this aspect of your life.
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19 [[A reputable password manager>>url:https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS798US798&ei=-WRHXNO-C-W4jwSQioSgBw&q=reputable+password+manager&oq=reputable+pass&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0l3j0i22i30.45653.48290..49139...0.0..0.72.802.14......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i131j0i67j0i131i67.CLekXIwJqKw||shape="rect"]] can help.  They are available for your phone as well as your computer.  [[If you can create one memorable, reasonably strong password>>url:https://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/choosing-a-secure-password.html||shape="rect"]] to access all the rest of your passwords, you will never have to plaster your monitor with sticky notes for any passer-by to see.
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21 Now go get a password manager.  Using a bad password manager is considerably better than not using one.
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23 === {{id name="More-Advice"/}}More Advice ===
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25 [[image:attach:digital-guardian-password-security-infographic.png||thumbnail="true" height="250"]]