For the last decade, we’ve been told to make obscure passwords to keep our data safe. NeverM1Nd!, the advice was bad.
Researchers have now proven that a password such as “Tr0ub4dor&3” would take only three days to crack. If we used four-word phrases, such as “correct horse battery staple,” it would take 550 years to crack. It’s clear that it is the length of the password that matters, not the special characters.
So I, along with many others, are now strongly encouraging you to drop passwords and move to long pass phrases. Use four unrelated words that are simple for you to remember for any highly sensitive sites, such as email or banking.
Let me remind you that you can solve most of your password challenges by using a tool such as Lastpass.com which generates and stores your passwords for you. You only need to remember your one password to unlock the rest. Just be sure that one is a four-word phrase that you won’t forget.
SoLongAnnoyingRule$!
