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Do passwords need to be complicated?
Traditional password recommendations, as implemented by most companies, typically call for passwords at least eight to 12 characters long, complexity that includes at least three different character sets (letters, uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols, and so on), and the stipulation that passwords should be changed …
Why is password complexity important?
In theory, the main benefit of password complexity rules is that they enforce the use of unique passwords that are harder to crack. The more requirements you enforce, the higher the number of possible combinations of letters, numbers, and characters. With enough time and computing power, all passwords can be cracked.
Why do some websites limit password length?
Why, you may ask. Well, it takes computing time and power to calculate the hash, and not to mention bandwidth and other handling and memory problems. Smaller passwords are not less secure just because of its length is low and will take less storage. The password is hashed, and the length of the hash is fixed.
Are long passwords better than complicated ones?
Therefore, a lengthy list of easy-to-remember words or a passphrase could be actually more secure than a shorter list of random characters. Lengthy passwords made of actual words are definitely easier to remember and could help users manage them in more secure way.
Why do passwords require special characters?
Simple answer is that passwords that use special characters are more secure than ones that don’t. You need to understand that passwords that use special characters would be more difficult to crack, using a brute force attack.
What makes a strong password?
What Makes a Password Strong? The key aspects of a strong password are length (the longer the better); a mix of letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and symbols, no ties to your personal information, and no dictionary words.
Why do some passwords not allow special characters?
Why do some password policies disallow certain special characters? The most common reason is that the software was not written by security-competent programmers. A “golden rule” of programming—in fact, the one that’s at the heart of nearly all vulnerabilities—is that you should never let bad data destroy your system.
Can a long password be hacked?
A general rule is that your password should be at least 11 characters and use numbers, along with upper and lowercase letters. If your password comprises numbers, upper and lowercase letters and symbols, it will take a hacker 34,000 years to crack – if it’s 12 characters long.
Is passphrase more secure than password?
Second, passphrases are actually more cyber secure than the most complex password. A password is about 8-12 characters, often mixed heavily with alternate characters. But these passwords are common words and the substitutions are predictable. A passphrase usually has 20 characters or more.
Why do special characters make passwords difficult to crack?
The reason has everything to do with password entropy: a representation of how much uncertainty there is in a password. This translates to how computationally difficult a password is to crack. Simply put, adding length increases entropy more efficiently than replacing letters with symbols.