PHISHING FOR
YOUR PASSWORD
– By Elizabeth Norm
W ith the plethora of passwords you probably have accounts
to, it would be nearly impossible to remember a password for
each one. However, if you are able to create a single strong
password, you will undoubtedly be safer for quite some time
– although it’s still recommended to change your passwords
on a regular basis, realistically, at least once per year.
‘Phishing’ is a method in which scammers try to gather
personal information about you by using deceptive emails, and
then figuring out what your password is for online banking
upon your response to those emails. Nearly one third of all
financial breaches in the past have been due to phishing.
How complicated is your password?
When’s the last time you changed it?
Here’s how the length and intricacy of your password can
make a difference in securing your personal information
from scammers:
password
length
(characters)
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
only
numbers
upper & lower
case letters
only
instantly
instantly
instantly
instantly
instantly
instantly
instantly
8 seconds
instantly
5 minutes
instantly
3 hours
4 seconds
4 days
40 seconds
169 days
6 minutes
16 years
1 hour
600 years
11 hours 21,000 years
4 days
778,000 yrs
46 days 28 million yrs
1 year
1 billion yrs
upper & lower upper & lower
case letters case + numbers
+ numbers
+ symbols
instantly
instantly
instantly
instantly
3 seconds
10 seconds
3 minutes
13 minutes
3 hours
17 hours
10 days
57 days
153 days
12 years
1 year
928 years
106 years
71,000 years
6,000 years
5 million yrs
108,000 yrs 423 million yrs
25 million yrs
5 billion yrs
1 billion yrs
2 trillion yrs
97 billion yrs 193 trillion yrs
HOW TO MAKE IT COMPLICATED,
YET REMEMBER IT!
Example: “My 34 year old daughter Jessica loves Beauty
and the Beast.”
Password becomes: M34yodJlBatB
According to the chart, this password would take 6,000
years to be found by a scammer. How about yours? •
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Silver & Gold Magazine ~ SPRING 2020
27