Passwords, How To Choose

by Sandy Berger

Why Passwords?
Computer data can be very important. There are many times when this data needs to be kept confidential. Passwords are a common method of keeping computer data safe and secure. A password is a secret sequence of characters that enables a computer user to access a file, a computer, or a computer program. If a program or file is password-protected, you cannot access that file without the proper password. This security can keep an intruder from accessing your computer files.

Common Passwords 
Ideally a password should be a combination of characters that is unique to the user. In reality, most people choose a password that can be easily guessed. In trouble shooting computer problems, I sometimes need to access a computer when the user is not readily available to supply his password. If I am even scarcely acquainted with the user, I can guess their password more than 50% of the time. I find the most commonly used passwords are the following: 

You would not believe how many men use  Yankees, Bears, or  Broncos for their password. Sports terms like  golf,  tennis,  birdie, and  touchdown are also very popular. People often choose the first word they see when working on the computer. So many use the brand name of the computer because it is right in front of them when they are trying to choose a password. Oh, and the word password is also very popular. 

A predictable password is one reason that it is so easy to break into most computer systems. A password should never be this easy to guess. In fact, a password should not even be a word at all. If someone really wanted to break into a computer, they could simply write a small program to determine the password. This can be done in less than a page of computer coding. The program will have the computer go through every word in the dictionary. There are even special dictionaries that computer hackers use just for this purpose. 

Creating a Password 
If you want a password that is more difficult to break, choose a combination of words, numbers, and symbols. You can do this and still make your password easy to remember. A good password might be $greatday$ or #happytimes#. You might also find a clever password by finding a phrase and using the first letter from each word. Every dog has his day  would be edhhd. A penny saved is a penny earned would be apsiape. Four score and seven years ago becomes 4sasya. You can also create a password from parts of words pasted together, such as, lovmar for love and marriage or rewhi&blu for red, white, and blue. Adding a number or several numbers to these passwords makes them even more secure. So 7edhhd3 would be an even better password. 

Different Passwords for Different Things 
Another common mistake people make is to use the same password over and over again. Okay, I know you visit many Web sites that require passwords, and it can be difficult to keep track of all the passwords that you accumulate. It's okay to use the same password for common Internet sites. Say you register at a Web site that you use to get the news and you also register at a site that you visit daily for the weather. Feel free to use the same password for both of these sites. 

However, if you work with classified or financial information, be very careful with your password. If you use a Web site for financial transactions, you will want to create a unique password that is more difficult to guess for that Web site. A devious but clever scheme to get passwords is to offer something enticing on the Internet asking for a password. If you use the same password there that you use for your important data, you have just jeopardized the integrity of your data. 

Be sure to use a unique password to protect important information that you may have on your own computer. Also use a unique password for your Internet connection itself. Anyone who can guess your Internet password can use your Internet account and probably your e-mail account as well. 

Keep it a Secret 
Passwords should never be shared. A password is only good if it is kept a secret. Ideally, passwords should never be written down, although, in reality, most folks do like to document their passwords in some way. Just be sure that you don't keep a password list in your computer or in any obvious place. If you want to keep your password a secret, remember they can be stolen by observation. Be cautious of anyone looking over your shoulder when you type in your password. 

Changing Your Password 
Many major corporations require their employees to change passwords at least once a month. Occasionally changing your password is a good idea. If you are dealing with files on your own computer, you can change the password by returning to the place where you set the password and typing in your old password and then a new one. If you don't know where to change the password, click on  Help from the menu at the top of the screen. Then type the word  password for how-to instructions. 

You may also want to change your password if someone else has used your computer and/or learned your password or your computer has been compromised in any way. If you have gotten a virus of any kind, your computer has been compromised, and you should change all your important passwords. 

Some Internet Service Providers allow you to change your own passwords. For instance if you use AOL, simply choose  My AOL on the toolbar and then choose  Passwords. Click  Change Password  . In the  Change Your Password window, type your old password in the old password box. In the Enter new password boxes, type the new password once in each box. Be sure to type the password the same way both times. Then click  Change Password. 

With some Internet Service Providers, you must call them to change your password. If that is the case, be ready to give them your old password and the new password that you would like to have. The change can usually be made while you are on the phone. 

Case Sensitive 
With some programs and some Internet sites, you can use upper and lower case letters interchangeably. In these cases, if you set your password to SUSNPT, you can gain access by typing in susnpt, SUSNPT, SusnPt, or any other combination of capital and small letters. 

However, sometimes passwords are case sensitive, meaning that you must use exactly the same capitalization that you used when you chose the password. If the password is case sensitive and you originally typed in SuSnPt as your password, you must type the exact same upper and lower case letters when you access your account. 

If you read the screen when you choose your password, it will sometimes tell you whether or not the password is case sensitive. However, if you don't find that information readily available, you may have to use trial and error to see whether or not you have to use the same combination of capital and small letters. 

Biometric Identification 
While you do have to worry and fret about passwords today, in the near future passwords may be as obsolete as the Pony Express. The future of security lies in biometric identification. Instead of having to supply and remember passwords, the computer will be able to identify you by your own individual physical characteristics. Every human being on the planet has unique fingerprints. The pattern of the iris of your eye is also unique. Even an individual's voice is comprised of a distinctive set of characteristics. 

The use of biometric identification may be closer than you think. The US Immigration and Naturalization Service is testing a program for international travelers frequently entering the United States. These travelers will be allowed to skip immigration lines after being biometrically identified by a touch screen and hand-geometry scanner. Diebolt is currently testing ATM machines that use fingerprints and iris scans to identify users. Microsoft has recently announced that biometric identification will be included in Windows operating systems to be produced after the Windows Millennium Edition, which is to be introduced in the next few months. 

Even though passwords may soon become obsolete, right now we have to deal with them. So remember that passwords can protect your data -- if you use them wisely.