Passwords the Lennox Way
Our passwords protect our personal information. Additionally, they prevent hackers from accessing the network and gaining access to the company and indeed our colleagues personal information.
Hackers use a combination of social engineering tactics and software to gain access to our accounts. Social engineering tactics are used to fool people into giving out sensitive information and passwords. They are usually in the guise of text messages and emails. These are avoided by not clicking on suspicious links and reporting them to IT.
Hackers also attempt to crack our passwords by using a very sophisticated piece of software. It uses our username and/or our email address to log into our system or office 365 online account. Once logged in, they use even more sophisticated software to hack into our other accounts both company and private (Gmail, Netflix, banking etc).
What can we do? There are a few simple things.
Avoid using passwords that include the word password, your name or numbers that are in sequence. Password1234 can be cracked in under 10 seconds by hackers.
- Mix it up! Use a combination of words, numbers and symbols.
- Most hackers use American and English language dictionaries. Being adventurous using words in a different language with the combination of numbers and symbols creates an almost unbreakable password.
- Random letters work wonderfully.
For Example
I was walking down the road last me week and spotted The Big Green Bus going to Dublin airport so I used the Initials in different cases and then added the time I saw it with a couple of characters.
TbGb@13:14$
Checking the security of the password created the following result:
Check Your Password
https://www.passwordmonster.com/
Crack time on sample passwords:
- TbGb@13:14$ = 6 thousand years.
- Password1234 =- Instant to crack.
- Hello_motto = 48.26 Minutes to crack
- UpdeDubs — 1 Month.
- UpDaDubs@0:23$!!! = 116 Million years!
So, were do we go from here?
1. Use a combination of different characters number and symbols.
2. Never use the same password again and again, mix it up.
3. Avoid adding or changing a letter each month it will be too easy, So don’t use Pass@1234, then the following month Pass12345.
4. Never use personal info , name of your dog, child or maiden name.
Remember — the company and your colleagues are only as safe as your password!
