A strong password is the first line of defense against falling victim to cybercrime. A password will not protect you if it’s easy to find or guess.
-
Creating a strong password is an essential step toward achieving good data security
-
Strong passwords are created using numbers, letters and symbols
-
Don’t write your passwords down
-
Consider using long phrases with mixed case and numbers
-
Weak passwords contain common words and familiar sequences
-
Weak passwords are a common cause of security breaches
What is a Weak Password?
A weak password is a common word or phrase, information that can easily be discovered about you (think Facebook), and popular phrases. Any of the following password examples can be cracked in minutes. Here are some examples:
|
summer15 |
Any word followed by a number |
|
bonjour! |
A word in a dictionary in any language |
|
password1234 |
Any use of “password” |
|
Iloveyou |
An obvious phrase, with no alteration |
|
MarySmith |
Any personal information, such as a child, parent, or pet name |
|
Tulsa1995 |
Any birthday, anniversary date, or place of birth |
|
GoRedSox |
Any sports team that would be obvious from social media |
Creating a Strong Password
A few changes could make your passwords stronger. Below are some quick strategies for building stronger passwords:
-
Lengthen your password – the closer you get to 15 characters the better
-
Use all the character types (upper, lower, number, symbol) and don’t place them all at the end
-
Make the password unique by adding in something unique for the website to the password
-
Use phrases, not words
One way to achieve all of these, is to have a base passphrase such as : a_S1ice0fApplePi
then add a unique ending to it: a_S1ice0fApplePi3. Use a different variation of your base passphrase for each login.
Please call the ITS Service Desk at extension 7111 with any questions or concerns or email us at itshelp@colgate.edu.