Password Security

[Ganzta]

My password on the SG forums had been asdf for the past 4 years. I'll change it to Asdf now

[cakeshark]

Good news is I don't use my SG password for anything else.

Almost 5 years.. Bet I forget my new password in a day and keep trying the old one.

[Im a Jackass]

well time to change my password. my old one was so safe it was password123456789

[Vick]

Thanks!

[3ni]

Thanks for the advice

[Tsuna]

The minute it happened, me and everyone in pb at the time changed everything!

[jeN]

Hi Mister Hacker, idk my own password for my email or forums anymore so if you figure it out can you hook me up? Thanks.

[DarkJesture]

jen you lost yours too? shiiet I lost mine last year... If my computer logs me off, I'm scrued... xD

 

another hint would be to use symbols to make letters, example:

 

wastedaze

\/\/@$t3DaZE

 

That password went from easy to nearly impossible (atleast for beginning and intermediate hackers)

 

gigity

61gIty

 

steamgamers

St3@mgamer$

[hanehane]

my new password should take 5.47 hundred billion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion centuries so if he gets my password now i think theres something wrong. now on the chance i log out i am fucked

[Bob Loblaw]

jen you lost yours too? shiiet I lost mine last year... If my computer logs me off, I'm scrued... xD

 

another hint would be to use symbols to make letters, example:

 

wastedaze

\/\/@$t3DaZE

 

That password went from easy to nearly impossible (atleast for beginning and intermediate hackers)

 

gigity

61gIty

 

steamgamers

St3@mgamer$

 

In a dictionary attack simple substitutions will likely be checked. That being said, it is still a good idea, but simply putting passw0rd instead of password will not buy you much time ;) So I recommend adding something more, and using an uncommon word, and the more you substitute the better.

 

This is an interesting "graph" of sorts, that depicts password popularity, thickness indicates how often it is used, but everything on that list is still commonly used.

 

Basically if the hacker is using a dictionary attack, using common words (even with some substitutions) might lead to your password getting cracked, however if it is not found in a dictionary attack, and the hacker has to resort to brute force, then any substitution (that adds to having at least 1 lowercase, upper, symbol, and number) will be vastly beneficial.

 

Of your examples the strongest one would be Wastedaze, and the weakest would be gigity, but exactly, this is a very simple way to make any password stronger (passw0rd is still not strong, but it is of course strongER than password).

 

And @ Jen/whoever else, if you need your password changed (because it prompts you for your current one in order to be able to change it) you can PM me (or another admin) to change it to a temp password, then use that to change it yourself.