Build a Better Password
Creating a good password doesn't have to be hard...

With internet fraud and identity theft becoming more and more of a problem, it's important that you carefully choose your passwords these days.

Most of us are usually inviting trouble when we choose our passwords for our internet accounts. We actually make it easy for some electronic ne'er-do-well to open the keys to our internet presence.

For example, let's say I want to guess your password. Here's where I would start:

• Your name
• Your kids' names or your spouse's name
• Your anniversary
• Your pet's name
• Your birthday
• Your kids' or spouse's birthday
• Your street address
• Your hobby
• Your car

So how am I doing? Am I getting close? If I am, just consider how easily a hacker could get into your internet accounts...

Elements of a Good Password

A good password has to be two things:

• Hard to guess
• Easy to remember

So, while a password like

xiE904ioe

might be hard to guess, there's no way in the world you're going to remember it. And if you can remember, you're kinda strange.

The best passwords use a combination of letters and numbers, so try the following method when creating your passwords:

Think of a sentence, and then use the first letter of each word in the sentence to make up your password. Throw in some numbers for good measure.

For example, "My dog Rover will be 5 in May," would create the password

mdrwb5im

And there we have an excellent password. Easy to remember (if you carefully choose your sentence), a combination of letters and numbers, at least six characters long -- and more importantly, it looks completely random.

Now go, and surf in peace...

Filed October 27, 2004