Re: email passwords
- Subject: Re: email passwords
- From: k*@ix.netcom.com (Katherine Pyle)
- Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 08:28:10 -0800
>Was it you who mentioned a hacker entry in your email system, through a
>password of someone's name?
Because I work as a contractor (writing computer documentation), I get to
deal with email passwords at all sorts of companies.
I find that, across time and companies, the suggestred rules for passwords
generaly are:
1. The password should be about 6 characters long.
2. It should NOT be a personal name or a word which appears in any
dictionary in any language in the world. (This is easier than it seems
because following rule #3 turns any searchable word into nonsense.)
3. It should contain both letters and non-letter characters ($, ?, 7,
etc.). For example, instead of "Maria", use "M@aria".
4. You should change passwords every 3-6 months, to cut off any hacker who
may have discovered your password (or who may be working his way through a
search list in an effort to uncover your password).
I find it is handy to use initials of friends and relatives plus important
dates. This creates a meaningless character string which I can remember
because it is very meaningful to me. For example, I might start with HGAP
for Harry Grosenbach/Anita Po. Then add the year in which I met these two
people (1976), to create 76HGAP.
That will take care of most hackers.
Katherine Pyle
Berkeley, CA, USA
