Awareness Campaign - Computer Security 101
Question 6:
Answer:
| A. | 45 minutes vs. 28 hours | |
| | B. | 3 minutes vs. 10 hours |
 | C. | 2 minutes vs. 46 thousand years |
| D. | 1 hour vs. 9 centuries |
It could take 2 minutes vs. 46 thousand years, according to figures taken from the University of Wyoming Information Technology website at http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/InfoTech/security/passwords.htm.
This goes to show how effective a long string of complex characters can be when creating a password. It’s also really important to create a new password for every account you have.
The best passwords are made up. Use the first letter of words in a phrase and include numbers and punctuation; for example, “Do you know the way to San Jose on US-12?” becomes “DyktwtSJoUS-12?” Passphrases are also very effective, such as “MaryHad^LittleLamb.” Create a nonsense phrase like “!bunca*dinckDOc?” (Of course, don't use any examples shown here!)
For information regarding creating a secure password, visit:
http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/articles/155
http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/r1162
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx
