"Using 'strong' Passwords for Enhanced Security"
By Ralph Moore

What is a "strong" password?

A "strong" password is one that can not easily be discovered
or guessed. One way to create strong passwords is to create
a phrase or code based on a memorable activity or event.

For example: A phrase such as "I bowled 275 March 9, 1987"
could be translated to "ib275m91987" or just "ib275m987"
using the first letters and the numbers from the phrase.

Or "wwmj11970" or "wwmj170" for the phrase "We were
married January 1, 1970".

The key point is to create a password that you can remember,
but is hard for anyone else to guess.

Here are a few more ideas:

You can decide upon a set of rules and a list of "pass
phrases", in order to develop your "strong" passwords.

For example, your set of rules might say:

"Use the first number element but omit the last one,
proper names for people will be capitalized i.e. "R" for
Roger, months of the year will be lower case using the
first letter of the name of the month i.e. "a" for April,
the actual number of the year will not be used, and the
last reference in the pass phrase will use the date only."

And your pass phrase might read:

"I have 2 children named Bill and Jane, whose birthdays
are March 15, 1981 and August 21, 1984 respectively.
I started my current job on December 8, 1979 and have
been there for 24 years."

By combining the elements in a memorable way, you can
come up with a secure password, such as "2Bm15Ja21d8"
for example.

Even if a stranger knew some of the details of your life,
it would be very difficult to discover your password, as
there are many variables involved, and the person would
not know what rule set you were using to develop your
passwords.

As long as you remember the method that you are using to
develop your passwords, you could keep a copy of the "pass
phrase", such as the one quoted above, in a private area
for future reference.

When you look at it you would remember the key elements,
and be able to re-construct the password by using the
"2" for number of children, "B" for Bill, "m" for March,
"15" for Bill's birthday, "J" for Jane, "a" for August,
"21" for Jane's birthday, "d" for December and "8" for
the day in December when you started your job.

Make sure that your passwords...

1. Are a minimum of seven characters long; longer is better.
(MS Windows 2000 and XP use UP TO 128 character passwords.)

2. Include upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols

3. Have at least one symbol character in the second through
sixth position.

4. Have at least four different characters.

5. Appear to be a random letter and number sequence.

And whatever you DO NOT...

use any part of your logon name for any password.

use any actual word or name from any language.

use numbers in place of similar letters, i.e. (1) for
"one".

use any part of your old password.

use consecutive letters or numbers like "abcdefg" or
"1234567".

use adjacent keys on your keyboard like "qwerty".

use overworked common phrase acronyms, such as
the well known "tanstaafl" for "There ain't no such thing
as a free lunch".

write your passwords or logon names where others can
see them.

If you follow these rules, your passwords will be much
more secure.

By using a combination of pass phrases and your own
set of rules, you can increase your password security
and increase the security of your sensitive information
in our networked world.

Ralph Moore, Editor - Eagle Flyer Newsletter - Get
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