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22 Jun 2011 By ABradney-George

Password Protection: Are You Safe?

22 Jun

With Hackers Making The Most Of Internet Security Loopholes, It Is Time To Look At Just How Protected Your Online Presence Is.

It is easy to forget to regularly change passwords online, let alone use more than one password for a ll the different websites and services that require login details. But lax password protection is expoising more and more people to hackers.

From the now infamous Sony PlayStation Network hacking story to the other LulzSec and Anonymous hacking exploitations, the media and public alike are swarming to information on all the recent hack attacks.

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Password protection is one of the simplest things people can do to make sure their information is safe, but it is also probably one of the most neglected. In fact, a Sony password analysis from software architect and Microsoft MVP Troy Hunt found that most passwords were of a predictable length, half used only one type of character and 92% were reused for a related account.

If this data were used for email or bank accounts, or even an online backup service then people could have serious problems on their hand. Identity theft, multiple viruses and malware problems and credit card fraud are just a few of the things that can result from passwords being hacked.

Regardless of what security software may be in place, a password can still be hacked. Fortunately there are several things that can be done to increase password strength and protection, including:

Making passwords more than 10 characters long
Including a range of characters such as letters, numbers and punctuation marks
Adding at least one uppercase letter to the password
Using different passwords for every login; and
Changing passwords at least once a year

Performing any or all of these steps will increase the difficulty level a hacker faces, making information more secure. The only downside to this practise is that it can be hard to remember a password that is long, contains different character types and is only used for one login.

Instead of trying to remember them from scratch, or writing them down where anyone could find them, considering a password manager could make things a lot easier. Password managers are a great way to make sure all your passwords are stored securely and some, like Sticky Password and Handy Password will also act as form fillers, saving even more time.

So what about the password remembering function on many internet browsers? While they are helpful, they are not encrypted in the same way that more specific password managers are, so they do not offer the same amount of protection.

When it comes to warding off hackers, it is better to stay on the safe side of the tracks. Considering software like a password manager can keep your information protected and give you piece of mind.