Passwords
What makes a strong password?
- More than 8 characters. Preferably more than 16.
- A variety of characters, not just numbers and letters.
- Doesn’t include any personal information about you.
- A password that you haven’t used before for anything else.
- A password that no one else knows.
Test out the strength of your password here – https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm
Remember
- If you have to save your passwords online, use a password manager.
- Never use the word ‘password’ as a password.
- Never leave your computer logged on if you walk away from your computer.
- Avoid entering passwords into WiFi connections that lack security.
- If your password is found out for one system and it’s the same across other websites, all those accounts are compromised.
- Passwords are case sensitive.
Resetting your password
If you need to reset your college password, follow this link https://password.barton.ac.uk/sspr/public/? and follow the instructions or contact the IT Helpdesk.
You can login, activate your account or reset your password if you have forgotten your college password.
Why are longer passwords better?
Passwords over 16 characters offer a lot more protection than shorter passwords. A password with 16 + characters widens the search space that a hacker would need to explore when using a brute force attack.
Which of the following two passwords is stronger,
more secure, and more difficult to crack?
D0g…………………
PrXyc.N(n4k77#L!eVdAfp9
The first password is the easiest to remember and it is also the strongest. It is only one character longer, contains upper case, lower case, a number and special characters, which means it would take an attacker 95 times longer to guess than the second unmemorable password.
If you would like to find out how a password you are thinking of would fair in a brute force attack try out the How Big Is Your Haystack? Calculator. While it is not a password strength meter it will do all the calculations and let you know how long it would take to brute force your password.
