Password Security
A comment from a typical user: ââ'¬Å"What I thought was my most secure password that would take months to crack... Seven minutes!
Thatââ'¬â"¢s how long it would take to crack one of the passwords I had been using for more than ten years, according to the crypto experts at Silent Circle. ââ'¬Â
Letââ'¬â"¢s be honest. A lot of people use the same password over and over again across multiple websites, like email, bank accounts, and social media.
Sometimes these passwords can be a bit elementary. The dogââ'¬â"¢s name. Daughterââ'¬â"¢s birthday. A favorite chocolate syrup. These types of passwords wonââ'¬â"¢t typically thwart government agencies that are keen to spy on their citizens. They can easily be cracked in a matter of minutes.
You may be using eight or ten different passwords for several years, always thinking they were secureââ'¬â€œ letters and numbers.
Well, you may be surprised! It may well turn out that the passwords arenââ'¬â"¢t so secure after all. You can try it for yourself here:
(You donââ'¬â"¢t have to sign up; you can just type in a password and see for yourselfââ'¬Â¦)
Modern Password Cracking Algorithms
Most password cracking algorithms have adapted, particularly as a lot of people use ââ'¬Ëœdictionaryââ'¬â"¢ words in their passwords.
For example, instead of ââ'¬Å"sunshineââ'¬Â, one may use ââ'¬Å"5unshinE!ââ'¬Â, substituting a 5 for the s, capitalizing the E, and adding an exclamation mark.
The first password, ââ'¬Å"sunshineââ'¬Â, is considered to be highly vulnerable based on industry convention, but ââ'¬Å"5unshinE!ââ'¬Â is considered to be much more secure.
It turns out that both passwords can be cracked by modern algorithms almost instantly. Neither is secure.
Since cracking algorithms succeed by picking up patterns in human behavior, the key to a secure password is randomness and disorder. In the security business, this is known as entropy.
Itââ'¬â"¢s difficult for a human being to fake randomness and disorder. So one easy way to achieve this is to use a password generator tool that incorporates entropy.
Try, for example, going to
On this website, you move your mouse around randomly, and the websiteââ'¬â"¢s software incorporates these random mouse movements into its password generation code.
The passwords that it generates are far more secure, taking centuries to crack instead of mere seconds.
It may be a good idea to take a few minutes out of your life to check your own password vulnerability, and come up with an alternative thatââ'¬â"¢s far more secure.
A comment from a typical user: ââ'¬Å"What I thought was my most secure password that would take months to crack... Seven minutes!
Thatââ'¬â"¢s how long it would take to crack one of the passwords I had been using for more than ten years, according to the crypto experts at Silent Circle. ââ'¬Â
Letââ'¬â"¢s be honest. A lot of people use the same password over and over again across multiple websites, like email, bank accounts, and social media.
Sometimes these passwords can be a bit elementary. The dogââ'¬â"¢s name. Daughterââ'¬â"¢s birthday. A favorite chocolate syrup. These types of passwords wonââ'¬â"¢t typically thwart government agencies that are keen to spy on their citizens. They can easily be cracked in a matter of minutes.
You may be using eight or ten different passwords for several years, always thinking they were secureââ'¬â€œ letters and numbers.
Well, you may be surprised! It may well turn out that the passwords arenââ'¬â"¢t so secure after all. You can try it for yourself here:
(You donââ'¬â"¢t have to sign up; you can just type in a password and see for yourselfââ'¬Â¦)
Code:
https://accounts.silentcircle.com/join/Modern Password Cracking Algorithms
Most password cracking algorithms have adapted, particularly as a lot of people use ââ'¬Ëœdictionaryââ'¬â"¢ words in their passwords.
For example, instead of ââ'¬Å"sunshineââ'¬Â, one may use ââ'¬Å"5unshinE!ââ'¬Â, substituting a 5 for the s, capitalizing the E, and adding an exclamation mark.
The first password, ââ'¬Å"sunshineââ'¬Â, is considered to be highly vulnerable based on industry convention, but ââ'¬Å"5unshinE!ââ'¬Â is considered to be much more secure.
It turns out that both passwords can be cracked by modern algorithms almost instantly. Neither is secure.
Since cracking algorithms succeed by picking up patterns in human behavior, the key to a secure password is randomness and disorder. In the security business, this is known as entropy.
Itââ'¬â"¢s difficult for a human being to fake randomness and disorder. So one easy way to achieve this is to use a password generator tool that incorporates entropy.
Try, for example, going to
Code:
https://entima.net/random/On this website, you move your mouse around randomly, and the websiteââ'¬â"¢s software incorporates these random mouse movements into its password generation code.
The passwords that it generates are far more secure, taking centuries to crack instead of mere seconds.
It may be a good idea to take a few minutes out of your life to check your own password vulnerability, and come up with an alternative thatââ'¬â"¢s far more secure.
even if they aren't related to me or my personal life 
