{"id":151079,"date":"2015-09-13T05:30:32","date_gmt":"2015-09-13T05:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=151079"},"modified":"2015-09-12T16:35:36","modified_gmt":"2015-09-12T16:35:36","slug":"how-to-pick-the-perfect-password","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/09\/how-to-pick-the-perfect-password\/","title":{"rendered":"How to pick the perfect password"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hackers have managed to decode more than 11 million encrypted passwords stolen from the Ashley Madison website, shining fresh light on the importance of password security.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the UK government agency GCHQ published new password guidance designed to “improve security, while improving the usability of systems”.<\/p>\n
Its report challenged some common ideas about passwords and security. So how do you choose, and just as importantly remember, the perfect password?<\/p>\n
Many websites demand complex passwords with a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.<\/p>\n
The GCHQ report suggested complex passwords may actually be counterproductive, because people often write them down or reuse the same one on many websites.<\/p>\n
“Talking about a good password suggests that choosing a long or complex password offers better protection. That is not necessarily the case,” said Dr Steven Murdoch from the Department of Computer Science at University College London.<\/p>\n
“Secure systems should not just rely on a single password, but have additional technical controls which the system owner can use to detect abnormal behaviour and protect the user’s account.”<\/p>\n
Using symbols and punctuation is also a nuisance for people using mobile devices.<\/p>\n
“Complex passwords are hard to type on touchscreens, since you have to toggle between keyboards,” said Dr Angela Sasse, UCL’s head of information security research.<\/p>\n
Some security experts have recommended the adoption of “passphrases”, such as “Iown50%ofSClub7albums”.<\/p>\n
They are easier for people to remember and provide more protection from “brute force” attacks, where a computer tries countless combinations of passwords until the right one is found by chance.<\/p>\n