Author Topic: choosing a safe Password  (Read 2235 times)

Offline a j bayram

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choosing a safe Password
« on: Tuesday 07 November 17 20:16 GMT (UK) »
I am having to consider changing various passwords due to a couple of hacks.

What suggestions can you offer for a more secure type of password to use?

Regards, Andrew.
BAYRAM, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (and anywhere else...).
SUCKLING,  Suffolk (and anywhere else...)

Offline *Sandra*

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 20:38 GMT (UK) »


Take a sentence and turn it into a password. Something like "This little piggy went to market" might become "tlpWENT2m"

Sandra
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Offline stanmapstone

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 21:28 GMT (UK) »
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Offline GrahamSimons

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 21:49 GMT (UK) »
The registration number of your first car may be a memorable password, and at least unguessable by an outsider.

So may your family's phone number when you were a child if it includes the exchange name, e.g. WHItehall1212.
Simons Barrett Jaffray Waugh Langdale Heugh Meade Garnsey Evans Vazie Mountcure Glascodine Parish Peard Smart Dobbie Sinclair....
in Stirlingshire, Roxburghshire; Bucks; Devon; Somerset; Northumberland; Carmarthenshire; Glamorgan


Online KGarrad

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 22:23 GMT (UK) »
A strong password should contain:
  • lower case letters
  • UPPER case letters
  • numerals
  • other/special characters such as "!", "?", "@", "$" etc

Ideally it should NOT be a regular word!
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline dawnsh

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 22:35 GMT (UK) »
replace vowels in a memorable word with the 'equivalent' numbers ie: e becomes 3, a becomes 4, s becomes 5, o becomes zero
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Offline bluesofa

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 22:49 GMT (UK) »
Some (for example https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/passwords) advise using three random words. You just put them together, like 'coffeetrainfish' or ‘walltinshirt’

A longer password is harder for a computer to guess, but don't use words easy to associate with yourself (such as names of children).

Adding capitals and other special characters can further strengthen the password, though Cyber criminals know many of the simple substitutions.

It's also good to have different passwords for different accounts, so if a criminal manages to hack one site, they can't successfully use your username/email and password at another.

Offline LizzieW

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Re: PASSWORD PROBLEMS.
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 07 November 17 23:37 GMT (UK) »
I use Roboform to generate a new password for each account I open.  I only have to remember one password - my master password - which then opens Roboform so I can see all the others.  It works well for me.

Offline eadaoin

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Re: choosing a safe Password
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 08 November 17 10:13 GMT (UK) »
I've used poems!
start with "Jack-and-Jill" - when you need to change, move on to Went-up-the-Hill" etc

I've also used other memorable series of things in my childhood, such as names of aunts together with their phone number, or address
"Maura-30GroveRd"
Begg - Dublin, Limerick, Cardiff
Brady - Dublin
Breslin - Wexford, Dublin
Byrne - Wicklow
O'Hara - Wexford, Kingstown
McLoghlin - Roscommon
Lawlor - Meath, Dublin
Lynam - Meath and Renovo, Pennsylvania
Everard - Meath
Fagan - Dublin
Meyler/Myler - Wicklow
Gray - Derry, Waterford
Kavanagh - Limerick