Choosing a good computer password

In this instalment I am going to look at the pros of computer passwords. Yes, passwords increase security but it will be misleading to state that they are foolproof.
Every security system will have to be tried and tested, even after a password hack or a security breach, we should always have a defence line.
It is always better to delay an attack than to be totally exposed. Depending on the type of attack you are exposed to, a certain measure of security has to be applied.
Choosing a good password is the first important choice a user should make. Some passwords are weak while others are strong.
Encryption and hashing techniques are used to add security when transmitting data, but what really is a good password.
A good password is one that is very difficult to guess but easy to remember. Some analysts propose that a good password has to be one that is difficult to remember but what good is it when it also locks you out and denies you access.
Of course, one should never be able to guess your password under whatever circumstance.
In simpler terms you should not think of a password but rather create a password.
It has to be a combinational word. Suppose you want to use the word nyasha which happens to be the name of your firstborn child, here is a guide of how to create a password from this child’s name, ny@5ha1$t.
Here is the clue, always mix digits and letters in your password. This is the basic password principle we should at least all be using.
We coin this technique alphanumeric password. The second trick is to include alphanumeric and symbols.
In this case instead of using the letter “a”, I opted for the “@” symbol and for the letter “S”, the dollar sign “$” fits in perfectly well.
It is difficult or impossible for anyone to guess this combination. Instead of using standard letters you can also substitute them by using digits.
For instance, you can use 1 in place of l and 2 in place of Z and as long as you commit the simple word to your memory it is easier to write it any way you like.
The length of our password has to be at least eight characters. The longer our password is the stronger it is against attacks.
Common short words are much easier to guess than long alphanumeric passwords.
During passwords cracking and deciphering using specialised software, it has always been proved to be much difficult and time consuming to crack a long password as opposed to a short password.
Today we have many passwords that we use everyday, online, when we browse, for our favourite blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook, e-banking, drop box, what’s up and many more online packages. Site after site demands a username and password.
Keeping abreast with such information can be a challenging task, most people finally give in to the temptation of using one password across all platforms, which is very disastrous.
Password management tools like password manager, RoboForm and Lastpass help ease the stress that comes with password cramming and privacy issues.
These password managers generate, maintain and manage your passwords on every application you use online. All you have to do is remember one strong security password to protect all other passwords you have.
Lastpass stores your passwords online in a manner that is both very secure and convenient.
In case you change the computer or mobile device you use, you can still activate the application to manage your password from anywhere.
Though this really sounds convenient, the downside is that you can get into a fix if you lose your master key password.
This could be a major security risk but not with Lastpass, it gives you the option of adding security by saving your settings into a USB flash drive with sesame, a programme that works as part of the security chain.
This will mean without the flash drive but with the password one will not be able to get access your saved passwords.
Password security will always be part of our security line in this computer age, if properly implemented, this is our line of defence against first level of attacks.
The writer is a computing specialist and can be reached at [email protected] [email protected]