How strong is your password?

[Dwarf]

In this age where password and password security are becoming more and more important, how secure is yours?

For example, here is the result of my Forums password (blanked out for security reasons):



It can also be used for usernames as well as passwords. A strong username/password should include at least 1 character from each of the 4 categories.

https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm

 

[marsmimar]

Good information, Dwarf. Guess my password is OK.

 

[Dwarf]

To illustrate the importance of using characters from each of the categories, consider these examples. All these are 8 characters long and are variations of the word password. Not a particularly strong password, but it serves to illustrate the point.

All lower-case.



One upper-case character, the rest lower-case.



One upper-case and one symbol character, the rest lower-case.



One upper-case, one symbol and one numeric character, the rest lower-case.

 

[LiquidSnak]

By adding a single symbol, I went from 64.65 years to 15.67 thousand centuries.

 

[marsmimar]

Amazing how adding just one symbol ramps up the security.

 

[seavixen32]

I'm a suspicious old cove so how do we know this Gibson chappie isn't gleefully harvesting IP addresses along with the password?

He ain't having mine!!

 

[z3r010]

Normally I'd have the same thoughts, but it's a very well respected security site who's tools have been a very useful to me for me are far back as I can remember.

 

[Shadowjk]

At our school if we forget our password we have to enter this one which seems pretty secure for how simple it is



That isn't including the fact of if you know the username or not

Josh

 

[seavixen32]

Normally I'd have the same thoughts, but it's a very well respected security site who's tools have been a very useful to me for me are far back as I can remember.

I stand corrected, your word is good enough.

 

[Phone Man]

After reading his page, he mentioned that adding extra characters such as padding the password for more length works also. Still easy to remember.



Jim

 

[WebMattR]

My current 'normal' password would take:
Offline Fast Attack Scenario: 0.00321 seconds
Massive Cracking Array Scenario: 0.00000321 seconds

The Password I'm transitioning to:
Online Attack Scenario: 1.83 billion centuries
Offline Fast Attack Scenario: 18.28 centuries
Massive Cracking Array Scenario: 1.83 years

 

[brady]

New technology starts to breed new ways to crack passwords:

High Performance Computing In Information Security « RenderStream.com

 

[Britton30]

The #1 most commonly used password is “123456”, and the 4th most common is “Password.” So any password attacker and cracker would try those two passwords immediately. Yet the Search Space Calculator above shows the time to search for those two passwords online (assuming a very fast online rate of 1,000 guesses per second) as 18.52 minutes and 17.33 centuries respectively! If “123456” is the first password that's guessed, that wouldn't take 18.52 minutes. And no password cracker would wait 17.33 centuries before checking to see whether “Password” is the magic phrase.

Just be aware it's not a password strength meter. Good find!

 

[Britton30]

Normally I'd have the same thoughts, but it's a very well respected security site who's tools have been a very useful to me for me are far back as I can remember.

Me too John. I first used his Port Authority scanner.

 

[logicearth]

I'm a suspicious old cove so how do we know this Gibson chappie isn't gleefully harvesting IP addresses along with the password?

He ain't having mine!!

Its JavaScript, you passwords never leave your computer when you enter them.

 

[2010MegaScooter]

Weak