This article covers why it is EXTREMELY important to have a long and hard to guess the password for your control panel, WordPress admin area, email addresses and any scripts you use on your site.
Not only should this apply to your logins at 3001Web, but you should apply the following principles to any web password where sensitive data is stored, for example PayPal accounts etc.
Why you need an excellent password.
In a word, “hackers”. It is a sad fact of internet life that some people we refer to generally as hackers love to try to access password-protected areas on any site. Some hackers just do it for the challenge. Some of them do it to upload spamming scripts to your site or web hosting account, and the worst kind does it to gain access and destroy a site or an entire server.
How hackers try to guess your passwords
They don't! They have programs that do it for them called password bombers. What these programs do is send hundreds of combinations of common usernames and passwords at either your program login pages or worse your hosting control panel. If the bomber correctly guesses your login details, it will immediately inform the hacker it has gained access, and heaven help your site then.
Of course, we do have security in place on the server to protect your main hosting control panel, after three failed login attempts your whole IP address will be banned from accessing the server for an hour. This is generally enough to put most hackers off when they get locked out, but some will try repeatedly, so best to have a great password just in case.
So what makes a good password?
Many people believe that a long password is a good one, not always. Your password should NOT be made up of words you would find in a dictionary or names, and it should contain ALL the following:
UPPER CASE LETTERS
lower case letters
Num83rs
Special characters that are not numbers or letters.
It should also ideally be at least 9 characters long using the above rules.
Here is an example of a great password
*fS1955jS1956!
Now, you are probably thinking, “How on earth do I remember that?” Simple that password has a formula, really the only thing you need to remember is that the password starts with an asterisk and finishes with an exclamation mark. As for the rest of it, EASY… when you know how it is composed.
fS = Your name, Fred Smith (your first initial in lower case and your Surname initial in caps.)
1955 = your birth year
jS = You got it, your partner's name, Jenny Smith. Again, first name initial small letters, surname initial in CAPS.
1956=, Of course, it's your partner's birth year
All of a sudden, that password doesn't look so complicated, does it?
Examples of WEAK PASSWORDS
Further to the above, here are some very bad passwords that would be worked out in no time by a password bomber
jeff1969
chri5ti4n
mysiteisthebestintheworld
45856369846396987545
Check your passwords now for free
Below is a fun little tool for checking the strength of the passwords you use. It will tell you how long it would take a computer to crack your password. Aim for at least 200 years.
Check The Strength Of Your Passwords Click Here Link opens in a new window.
Cheat!
The best policy of all is to have different oober complex passwords for different sites. NO WAY you shout I would never remember them, the good news is you don't have to read our article on Roboform for a great way to protect and remember all your passwords. Click here to learn more about Roboform
