How TO CHOOSE STRONG PASSWORDS

By: BRIAN PLATZ

Tips from security experts to help you choose strong, easy-to-remember passwords.

Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting guessing and brute-force attacks. In its usual form, it estimates how many trials an attacker who does not have direct access to the password would need, on average, to guess it correctly. The strength of a password is a function of length, complexity, and randomness.

Keys to password strength: length and complexity 

An ideal password is long and has letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers.

• Whenever possible, use at least 10 characters or more.
• The greater the variety of characters in your password, the better.
• Use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often.
  Including Numbers and Special Characters.
• Mix Case, meaning use UPPER Case and lower Case letters.