Almost every website you visit wants you to set up an account. Without thinking you enter your personal information and password believing the site to have proper security controls in place to protect your information. But did you know the password you enter is your first line of defense? Attackers use a variety of methods to break passwords but by crafting a strong password you can better protect your personal information online.
The stronger you make your password the longer it will take an attacker to break into your account. Common password mistakes include making the password too short and using common dictionary spellings.
You can test how long it would take to break a password by entering it in at howsecureismypassword.net.
For example did you know:
The password apple would be broken instantly.
The password iloveapple would take 59 minutes to crack.
The password Apple2016 would take 4 days to crack.
The password IloveApple would take 1 month to crack
The password Il@veApple would take 1 year to crack
The password Il@veApple2016 would take 1+ years to crack
When crafting your own password remember these guidelines:
The length should be at least 8 characters long
You should use both upper and lower case letters
You should use both numbers and special characters
You should try making the password a phrase that is easy to recall
You should avoid common dictionary spellings