How to Make A Better Password

The New York Times released an article titled If Your Password Is 123456, Just Make It HackMe addressing the popularity of very weak passwords.

Vance (the author) says, “According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like “abc123,” “iloveyou” or even “password” to protect their data.”

This doesn’t surprise me at all. In the years I’ve spent in this industry, I’ve seen many very weak passwords. As a web designer, some clients will authorize me to set up their site and create email accounts for them. This means they’ll give me the password they want used. Often, I’ve had to go back to them with a new password since their chosen one was too weak for the system to accept. Even the client’s alternative password, though finally accepted by the server, are still often far too weak to be secure. (more…)