UGN safenet UGN safenet
how can you keep or remember all those passwords?
The Internet is not just a means of communication today. Mail, bank operations, news subscription and even tax return - almost all data can be sent via the Internet. Access to any of these services requires a password. But how can you keep or remember all those passwords? Should you save them in a separate file on your PC? This is one of the most common mistakes of many users. A password should be noted nowhere, as it can be stolen by a hacker.
How can you remember a great number of passwords that you are to use every day? They must not be easy, so that no one could guess them and use for malicious purposes. In this article you will find some recommendations as to how you can choose a password that will protect your data confidentiality.
How to make a secure password
A hacker or any other malevolent person, who wants to get access to your private data, will first of all try to use primitive passwords; for example, your name or date of birth. That's why your password must be long, difficult, and you should change it regularly. These are the three rules you must stick to. However, even this is not enough. Hackers usually use special utilities that include different combinations of words and figures. These programs' database has contents of the whole vocabulary, including personal names. That's why using such passwords as "petermorgan" is not secure. In order to minimize the risk, it is recommended to choose a long password (not less than 8 symbols), and to use such symbols as +, !, * (unfortunately not all resources allow usage of these symbols in their password line). But how can one remember such a combination, especially when it consists of unfamiliar words?
Examples of safe passwords
You can create a password using capital letters of a sentence. For example, a famous proverb "A man is as old as he feels himself to be" will make "amiaoahfh2b".
You also can use capital letters of any personal name. For example, if you use "Adventures of Tom Soyer" you will get "aots" as a first part of your password. Now count the letters in each word. You will get 10, 2, 3, 5. It seems to be hard to learn the password "aots10235". However, all you need is to recall Tom Soyer and count the number of letters.
There is another method. You can change all vowels in a word to some easy-to-remember symbols. For example, the word "constitution" can be changed to "c+nst*t&t!^n".
And do not forget to change your password regularly
Encryption increases security
Though all described above methods help create a secure password, they do not protect from keystroke loggers or other programs that might steal your confidential data (for example, credit card number). In addition to antivirus programs and firewalls, it is wise to have some means of personal data protection. This is special software that keeps your passwords encrypted, and thus, impossible to steal. One of the most effective password protection programs is Arovax TraySafe (http://www.traysafe.com).
This program is a personal password manager, which ensures perfect protection to your passwords. Some of the program's advantages are user-friendliness, possibility for corporate usage, the ability to combine secure protection and only your momentary access to all your passwords, and others. Those users, who constantly use the Web for shopping, surfing or work, should have such programs as Arovax TraySafe for their password protection.
© Arovax, LLC
Kira Foster is an expert on modern IT technologies and security software. She is also a Project Manager of Arovax Company (http://www.arovax.com) which is one of the leaders in the field of software development and PC protection.
title = Don't Be Careless With Your Passwords!
author = Kira Foster
url = http://www.arovaxcompany.com/
dept = Security: lock, firewall, virus block
audience = Windows user in business
Return to: the top of this page, or the INDEX for this department
Exit to: The User Group Network front page
Contact: The Editor, Webmaster or Membership Director