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10801 Starkey Road
Suite 104-222
Seminole, Fl 33777
Suite 104-222
Seminole, Fl 33777
Call us at 727-524-8443
Passwords
Probably one of the biggest pains involved with computer security is that of our passwords. We either tend to make them so easy (our dog or child's name) that anyone could guess them or so complex that we have to write them on a post it note and stick it to our monitor.
There must be a better way!
Essentially the problem is know as the password entropy... how long could it technically take to guess the password using every possible combination.
If you only use numbers in your password and the password is, for simplicity sake, 1 character long then there would only be 10 possible combinations:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
If we kept with that same 1 character password but added lowercase letters then we are up to 36 combinations. Add uppercase letters and you add another 26 more for a total of 62 combinations. Make it a two character password and now we have:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
If we kept with that same 1 character password but added lowercase letters then we are up to 36 combinations. Add uppercase letters and you add another 26 more for a total of 62 combinations. Make it a two character password and now we have:
Example
Hmmm
Which is stronger?
D0g..................... or PrXyc.N(n4k77#L!eVdAfp9
D0g..................... has an entropy about 95 times greater than the other password simply because it is 24 characters long as opposed to 23.
D0g..................... or PrXyc.N(n4k77#L!eVdAfp9
D0g..................... has an entropy about 95 times greater than the other password simply because it is 24 characters long as opposed to 23.
Patterns
Simply come up with a pattern. Perhaps you always start your password with a symbol... like $. Then add your favorite color capitalized ($Blue). Your year of birth ($Blue1962). Follow this with the first 3 letters of the website that you are creating the password for ($Blue1962vsl). This has an entropy of about 1.74 hundred billion centuries because it and uses capital and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. This is also a unique password that is easy to remember!
62 combinations
62 combinations
(first character)
(second character)
X
=
3,844 combinations
(two character total)
We want variety (letters, numbers, symbols, etc) and length.
What is your password entropy?