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Feature ArticleHALT! Who Goes There...? Protecting Your Privacy With Strong Passwords!
Your cash, your personal history and your private identity information is stored in computers all across the Internet. And you control the access to all of these with a simple password.
So you think your password is unbreakable, huh? No one would ever guess what it is right? Let's face it. Your password is probably not as good as you think. Strong passwords are seldom used even by people who should know better.
The story goes that in the 50's then President Harry Truman boasted to a security specialist that no one could break his password. Rather quickly the specialist broke the code: it was based on the date of Truman's inauguration: 1-20-1949.
People create and use "weak" or easy to break passwords for two simple reasons:
- They don't know much about the password system in the first place
- They don't understand how to make a strong password, i.e. one that would be tough to crack
The Password System
A "password" is secret combination of characters that is actually half of a two part "key" that computers require for someone to login into a locked or "password-protected" account or network.
The first part of this "key" is your Username. A username can either be assigned by the organization that controls or administers the account or made up by you.
Since most usernames are created from readily discovered items like your email addresses, nicknames, etc. security experts tell us that the "password" half, has become the most the important part of the key.
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A password is almost always created by the end-user...that means you! As such, you control just how "weak" or "strong" it will be. A weak or poorly thought out password can be cracked in less than one second with software any ten year old can download for free. A "weak" password is an easily cracked password. And No Password; No Privacy!
The Five Rules for a Strong Password
Fact: no password is unbreakable. In theory, any password can be cracked given the right software; enough computing time and the money to pay for them. If someone REALLY wants to break into your accounts, they can.
But most of the bad guys you will encounter (hackers, nosy employees, distrustful business partners and curious kids) are not that hard to keep out.
- Mix'em Up! When creating a password use mixture of characters like upper-case, lower-case letters(A-Z or a-z), numbers and special symbols such as: !,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,= , etc.
- Psst...can you keep it a secret? Your passwords must be kept a secret. So MEMORIZE them! Don't write them down on the back of your bank card, credit card or on a note stuck on your computer monitor. Tips for properly storing your passwords are covered more thoroughly later on in this article.
- The more the merrier. Use multiple passwords. You should have one for each individual account. Yes, I know it's a drag but you use the same over and over, you run the risk of a bad guy (a hacker or a jealous former lover) discovering it and running amok through all your accounts. Also take special care to use your strongest passwords on your more critical or valuable applications and accounts.
- Size does matter... Bigger is better, for passwords anyway. For minimum security, the experts recommend a password be at least six characters long. For business use or financial accounts I would go up to seven or eight for more bangs for the buck. One or two extra keystrokes add a few million more combinations a cracking program has to work through.
- Do it frequently. Change your passwords often. You should alter all critical passwords every sixty or ninety days at a minimum. So what is critical? Your money market accounts should be more critical to you then your membership to Critters Online! Some systems prompt you when change; others you have to remember and manually change it. Either way, do it frequently.
Additional Strong Password Tips
The science of creating strong passwords or any secret code for that matter has always been plagued with this problem: how to make it easy to remember (and decode) but difficult break.
A common way to design a strong password is to use a phrase cipher. For example, take the phrase, "Girls who wear glasses don't get passes." To create a password from this, use the first letter from each word. Then change one or more characters into an upper or lower case letter.
For added security you can add a numbers and/or special symbol. A few sample passwords could be: "gwwgdgp", "gWWgdgp1", "GwwGdGp!"
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Another way is to use a substitution code and change a common word like "password" into "Pa55wo4d". But bear in mind the more common substitutions are like "5" for "S" are checked by most password cracking software. Use your imagination.
The best way to remember a password to use something memorable but don't make it obvious. People love to use birthdays, anniversaries, street addresses, Social Security Numbers, their pets' names, family member names, etc.
Your password should mean something to you but should not be so easily guessed or quickly discovered like your personal information. Use memorable things only you would know or would have meaning only to you.
Still another way, the one that I use, is to create a "password base" then change parts or add bits to make it stronger for more important accounts and financial programs like Quicken, TurboTax or an online banking or credit card account.
Storing Passwords
One the biggest problem with passwords is how people store them. I have found written passwords under keyboards, on monitors, under speakers, in pencil holders, etc. If you must write it down then keep it close to you inside your wallet or purse. Just the passwords mind you. Don't write down your bank account number along with its password or pin!
Another way is for you to store your passwords using a software utility like "Password Safe". Password Safe is free database program (an open source project for Win9X/2000) from Counterpane Labs that stores all your passwords in an encrypted format.
After installing the program onto your desktop, it's simple and easy-to-use interface allows you to get started using it quickly. You can easily cut and paste usernames and passwords into Password Safe as you need them. You can download Password Safe 1.7.1 from this web site:
www.technoweasel.com/Code/ps171.zip.
Take the time to create and use strong passwords; your online privacy may depend on it!
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Chancer Reese has been computer technician and trainer for over ten years. Ms. Reese specializes in assisting small businesses in effectively utilizing and managing their computer systems. She can be contacted at her website www.technoweasel.com
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This week's TIP
Use your own image to submit a form
To submit a form normally you would use an INPUT
with type="submit". This creates a dull
grey button with the word submit on it. But sometimes its nicer to jazz things up a bit using your own image for a submit button. This can be done by using an INPUT with type="image", like this:
<input type="image"
src="your-button.gif" border="0">
Here's what you get:
Notice that I've used the
border="0" attribute. This prevents having that blue line
around your image.
* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *
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Second Article5 Ways to Speed Up Your PC
No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how much ram you carry, there comes a time when you realize your computer just doesn't run as fast as it did when you bought it.
Windows loads slower, programs take longer to launch, and, in general, your computer drags like it just came off a 2-night drinking binge.
If this sounds like your situation, these 5 tips should help you get some extra speed from your PC.
Disk Cleanup Utility
You may not realize it, but just because you finish with a file doesn't mean your computer does.
In many cases, if your computer's hard drive were a garage, you would have unused junk files piled 20 feet high and spilling out into the street.
Everyone should use the Windows "Disk Cleanup Utility" to delete old, unused, and temporary files that clog your hard drive.
Click Start, point at All Programs (or Programs), Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup. Analyze your hard drive for files you can eliminate and it may shock you to see how much hard drive space (and speed) you can free up with a few clicks.
Defrag
Imagine a properly maintained hard drive as room the size of Wal-Mart filled with filing cabinets.
Now imagine ripping open every drawer of every filing cabinet, slinging the contents onto the floor and trying to find one document -that's a fragmented hard drive.
Sometimes lack of speed simply results from your computer working too hard to find the files it needs.
You can solve this problem by "defragging" your hard drive.
Click Start, point to All Programs (or Programs), Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Defragmentor. Choose the disk you want to defragment and expect to let the program run for several hours.
Uninstall Unused Software
We all maintain software on our systems we rarely, if ever, use.
That software can steal system resources. Click Start, Control Panel, and "Add Remove Programs" to pull up a screen that allows you to remove old programs you don't use anymore.
Simply select and uninstall all programs you know for sure you don't need or want.
Buy More RAM
Increasing your RAM, a computer's memory, can dramatically increase speed when running certain operations or programs.
RAM costs so little now that you should install the maximum amount of memory your system can handle.
"Stop Them At Startup"
This operation requires a bit more technical savvy than the other four, so proceed with caution.
Many programs load into the system tray in the lower right of your computer's desktop and consume system resources even if you never use them.
Click Start, Run, type in msconfig, and press Enter. Click the "Startup" tab to see a list of programs that automatically start with Windows.
Clear the check box next to programs you know you don't want to load at startup.
But don't clear any checkbox unless you are 100% certain of a program's purpose.
Once you finish, click OK and it will prompt you to restart Windows.
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Author and co-author of several highly successful ebooks, including "How to Write and Publish your own eBook... in as littl as 7 Days" www.7dayebook.com. Writes a syndicated offline Newspaper Column - www.thenetreporter.com - focusing on ebooks, tips, tricks, expert interviews, & more!
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ho's the boss? When is the last time you saw an ad saying, "Be your own boss. Have more free time. Blah, blah, blah?"
ow don't get me wrong. I love my job and having my online business offers me certain freedoms that I would not have on a typical 9 to 5 job in the brick and mortar world.
he point I am trying to make is that I am not really my own boss. I fact I have more bosses now than I ever had in the brick and mortar world. Even if you count all my previous jobs put together! And I had a lot. Back in my younger days I changed jobs like you change your socks!
ou see, when you have your own business, your clients or customers are your boss. Every one. This simple principle you must understand if you expect to be successful.
usinesses that don't keep their customers happy are doomed to failure. An unhappy customer soon becomes someone else's customer. Someone who knows who knows who the boss really is.
o go ahead — be your won boss. Just don't forget to keep your other bosses happy.
