Are you smarter than your password?

By SearchSMBAsia Editors | Apr 5, 2010

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All of us choose our passwords differently, be it how easy they are to remember, how strong or complex they are; or even how sentimental they are to us. Symantec recently conducted a survey with over 400 respondents on password management and observed that close to 50% of respondents have more than 20 password-protected accounts across their networks and websites. What this means is that you are likely to request for a new password the next time you enter a site simply because recalling the passwords to all your accounts is now a challenge.

The survey found that of the respondents who have six or more password-protected accounts, 60% rely on their memory and 30% use a password manager to keep track of passwords. While memory is still the main method for many, a password manager is recommended as a critical back-up tool.

Another finding is that 28% of respondents have a few duplicate passwords. To work your way out of this habit, you may need to first evaluate the risk involved before you use a duplicate password.  Ask yourself – is there a risk to your money, data or identity if you use a duplicate password?  How many accounts will you be putting at risk if you lose this password?

The survey also found that majority want their passwords to be easy to remember but difficult to guess. Users need to bear in mind that their name, birth date and pet names may now be easier to decipher by outsiders, especially if they use social networking sites.
 

Here are some tips and ideas from Symantec to make your passwords easy to remember, yet hard to crack:

• Use a mix of numbers, letters, punctuation, and symbols
• Take a word or phrase that’s meaningful to you and alter it
• Replace the first few characters in your password with numbers or symbols
• The longer the better
• Avoid personal information, repetition, sequences, and dictionary words