{"id":4532,"date":"2024-08-04T20:49:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-04T20:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/?p=4532"},"modified":"2024-08-05T00:23:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T00:23:25","slug":"why-password-isnt-a-password","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/guide\/why-password-isnt-a-password\/","title":{"rendered":"Why \u201cpassword\u201d isn\u2019t a password?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A good password is more than just some obscure word or a random combination of characters. Modern password cracking software and computing power can easily break passwords in a surprisingly short time. \u201cpassword123\u201d can be hacked in 6 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"kaspersky\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Any password shorter than 12 characters is quick and easy to hack,<\/strong> and even longer passwords can be broken if not constructed correctly. Passwords are cracked through various methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brute force attacks are the most common. This is when hackers try to force their way into an account by using good ol\u2019 trial-and-error. This means simply guessing your password amongst the most common words and phrases people use or running bots armed with a base dictionary. These bots run through all possible combinations of characters until the correct password is matched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phishing emails\/calls and Social Engineering\/Hacking (using misrepresentation to manipulate you into giving them sensitive information) are also common methods of obtaining passwords and PIN codes. At Stone Tech Host, your security is important to us, and thus we would like you to use this advice to secure your passwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Wikipedia<\/a>, “NordPass conducted the most breached passwords research in 2020.”  Furthermore, “the Worst Passwords List<\/strong> is an annual list of the 25 most common passwords from each year as produced by internet security firm SplashData.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a good start to password security, DO NOT USE ANY OF THESE<\/strong> easily guessed passwords!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"top<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do not use the same or similar password for multiple other accounts, it\u2019s especially important that you do not use work passwords for personal accounts and vice-versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not use personal details such as your or loved ones\u2019 birthdates, names and surnames, addresses, phone numbers, favourite numbers, etc. This includes information your friends or family could guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever available, always use Two-Factor Authentication or other added security measures such as your fingerprint, an OTP, security questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change your passwords every now and then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longer your password, the more difficult it will be to hack (unless it\u2019s like the passwords in the table above). If the account allows for a 32 or 64 character length password, go for it! But how will I remember something that long?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a reliable password manager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

that can automatically generate completely random, very long and complex passwords, as well as keep track of all your login credentials securely. You\u2019ll only have to remember your passphrase for your manager and the manager will remember the rest. Nowadays, password managers are smart enough to be installed as a web browser plugin or phone icons in your pulldown notification panel so you can quickly access them every time you need to login to an account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create a master passphrase<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A passphrase is safer than a password. It\u2019s best to stop thinking that passwords need to consist of a single word. From now on, use phrases you\u2019ll remember and create a personal formula that will only makes sense to you, such as abbreviating words, removing certain vowels, replacing letters with numbers or symbols, or even better, using words your kids made up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try using words that can\u2019t be found in a dictionary and especially avoid words you\u2019d normally use every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything such as punctuation, misspellings and special characters such as []{}<>, symbols and numbers all make your passphrase less predictable and therefore more difficult for people and bots to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop your personal formula<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Choose a phrase you\u2019ll remember. Start with ALL lowercase.
    My sample phrase is short and simple but already 17 characters long and includes a word (plies = flies) I couldn\u2019t pronounce properly as a toddler.
    planets equal plies<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Misspell a word and remove vowel(s) in a way that makes sense to you.
    plani<\/code>ts eql<\/code> plies<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Add an uncommon special character or symbol
    planits [<\/code>eql]<\/code> plies<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Add a number or substitute a letter for a number
    5<\/code>planits [eql] plies<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Remove all spaces:
    5planits[eql]plies<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Now you have a strong passphrase!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re ever not sure, use Kaspersky<\/a> to test how strong and hackable your passphrase is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"password
    #image_title<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Lastly, check if your credentials have been leaked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Use Have I Been Pwned<\/a> to check if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A good password is more than just some obscure word or a random combination of characters. Modern password cracking software and computing power can easily break passwords in a surprisingly short time. \u201cpassword123\u201d can be hacked in 6 seconds. Any password shorter than 12 characters is quick and easy to hack, and even longer passwords can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-guide"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/password-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1702&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4532"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4569,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532\/revisions\/4569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stonetechhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}