Tag Archives: passwords

#Emoji #Passwords are Coming: Harder to Hack and Easier to Remember | Gizmodo #cybersecurity

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I wonder what we do if we don’t remember which Emoji character we used for our “Emoji Code”…there are too many Emoji now IMO…and with so many accounts as a techie I’m sure won’t remember them all if Emojis are eventually used for logins of services beyond just bank accounts.

A UK company claims to have invented the idea of using a set of emoji to replace a PIN number, suggesting that our stupid brains find it easier to remember the silly drawing people face things — and that the increased complexity of the emoji character set makes brute-forcing into our bank accounts substantially harder. READ MORE: Emoji Passwords are Coming: Harder to Hack and Easier to Remember | Gizmodo.

The Best Way for Companies to Stay Secure Without Passwords | WSJ.com

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Here’s the fundamental problem with passwords: They are most effective in protecting a company when they are long, complicated and changed frequently. In other words, when employees are least likely to remember them.

As a result, technology companies are rushing to provide solutions that are both more secure and more convenient. 

Read the full story: The Best Way for Companies to Stay Secure Without Passwords | WSJ.com

GTA Technology Topics, Tips & Tricks: Password Protection!

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I took LIS 598 Information Security this summer and we were given an eye-opening demonstration of just how easy it is for someone to crack passwords and invade systems wirelessly. That someone could be a computer in another country running an automatic script 24/7 or someone sitting in a vehicle on the street near your home. Here are five rules to follow for password protection:
 
Rule 1: Never share a password. Especially, NEVER EMAIL usernames and passwords.
 
Rule 2: Make passwords complex. Incorporate special characters, capital letters and numbers and make them at least 8 characters long.
 
Rule 3: Know that you are more vulnerable than you think. Most hackers will not “announce themselves” with a Rick Roll if they have penetrated your account.
 
Rule 4: Never leave your desktop computer, laptop or mobile device unattended and without some additional layer of security (password required to login).
 
Rule 5: Change passwords every few months and vary passwords for every account.
 
If you have trouble remembering passwords, password management software such as 1Password for Mac OS X or for Windows KeePass (free & open source) orLastPass can help. There are a lot of other password management tools out there too.
 
According to SplashData, these are the Top 25 Worst Passwords of 2011. If you use any of these passwords, I would suggest changing asap.

 
1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football