A secure password

[LONDONER]

I posted previously about this site but, due to the recent alarming reports of bank accounts being hacked, I have changed changed my password (yet again). To help me choose a safer password I used this site:

http://howsecureismypassword.net/

and according to that, it would take a PC two thousand years to crack mine.

To choose a password it should be one that you can remember easily but that doesn't mean that it has to be short. It can be a long phrase that is easy to remember. For example, you could used: mynumber1doghasawetnose. That would take a PC 4 quintillion years to crack. (Mmmm, maybe I should change my password again!)

Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Or... you could just stop using online banking, or better stop using banks until they do their job and secure your funds.

Back in the 1800's in the Ancient Wild West if a bank got robbed enough times the citizens up and pulled their money out and the bank closed. The message was clear and banks did their job and came up with better ways to secure the savings of their customers.

With the fees, and interest rates and all of the service charges banks charge you the least they can do is secure your account. The whole purpose of banks was to give people peace of mind that their savings were in a secure, safe location.

Understand with hacking, more and more of these cases is were they are just getting around the whole need for a password, you could have the worlds strongest password, if they have found a way around the security check that password is useless.

[LONDONER]

I agree with you to some extent Bowyn Aerrow, but unfortunately I bank in two countries and for me they are a necessary evil.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Like politicians, and I always think that 5000 politicians at the bottom of the ocean is a good start....

I dislike banks... A lot.

[Rawr]

It would take a desktop PC about 2 septillion years to crack your password.

I have a generic password for most accounts. It's really simple, and may even be quite easy to guess. Stating this of course is probably a helpful clue. However, this password is only used for accounts on the internet which I don't care much about. It lacks sensitive information, so if someone were to hack it, I wouldn't be too afraid of any consequences.

As for more important things, such as social media sites and my email account etc... I use passwords which contain symbols, letters (lower case and Capital) and numbers. I should change my password every two to three month, however I'm lazy and confident in their strength.

An example, which was my 'Master Password' for a while would be: 03000T^TcryingT^T00030

of course, passwords don't need to be that complex. For instance, a suitable password could be:
symbol + number + word + number + Symol
^2cOw2^

The reason I've chosen the number 2 is due to it being the second month of the year, which should help me remember. If I were to be a bit safer I could change my password in March to;

<3CoW3<

It can be simple and effective.

[partis]

Londoner did you hear the recent piece in the news about mobile phones, some reporters brought 9 supposedly "cleared" phones from different retailers, the reporters got all the information from the previous owners, bank details, everything they ever did on that phone was still available.

I had one phone for at least 3 years, i destroyed it rather than sell it… sim card or no sim card… turned out i was right to do that!

[MisterTinkles]

It all depends on what kind of program you are using to crack the password/code. More defined programs will take less time than basic ones.

IF you can afford decoders, or even create one on your own.........passwords (no matter how intricate) can be cracked in less than 72 hours.

The toughest passwords/codes to crack, are the ones with the longest characters. The longer it is, the longer it will take to crack. Of course, then again, a lot of sites do not let you use over 32 characters.

And as a personal note: they can crack my code anytime. I keep less than $100 in my back account. The "bulk" of my money is in a much "safer" place. IF you get my meaning **wink, wink**. The bank has insurance anyway......they have too.

AND, I do not use credit cards.

I think I posted this last time Londoner posted this thread....

1. Use a word and numbers not typical to you. Example: If you hate onions, use something like OnionLover or IloveOnions.

2. Misspell words, most programs will use "logic" to finish a word, which helps crack the code more easily. Example: OnyunLuver or IluvOnyunz.

3. Characters make it a bit more tough to crack, so you might use symbols/characters like *, ^, %, $, @, !, etc.... Of course a lot of sites do not allow character usage, so you have to do what you can. Most sites will allow underscores though "_", so if the site you are in does not allow characters, try the underscore.

4. NEVER use basic strings of numbers, birthdates you know, anniversary dates, or any other "common" date you know. IF you do, use them backwards. Example for Basic Numbers: 12345, 678910, 2468, 3579, etc... Example for using them backwards: if the date you want to use is December 24th, 1970, then use it like this, 07914221.

5. If you are mathematically inclined, and the program/site you are on will allow use of all characters and numbers, you might try something like: "12+34/62-XYZ=Green" well, you get the idea.

So, supposedly, using these suggestions, you might end up with a password like:
OnyunLover$86918110_1+4=OuttheDoor

[MisterTinkles]

Londoner did you hear the recent piece in the news about mobile phones, some reporters brought 9 supposedly "cleared" phones from different retailers, the reporters got all the information from the previous owners, bank details, everything they ever did on that phone was still available.

I had one phone for at least 3 years, i destroyed it rather than sell it… sim card or no sim card… turned out i was right to do that!

Before you get rid of a phone, exchange it, give it away, or sell it.........
RESET THE ENTIRE PHONE BACK TO ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER SPECS.

I have given away or sold my old phones. And I always have them reset to original factory settings.

Once you have "cleaned out" your phone and deleted all apps that you installed, and before you cancel that phone from your plan, call the company you have the phone with and tell them you need to reset your phone to original factory settings. It does not take long.

Resetting your phone will usually wipe out any information you have installed or put into the phone. IF there is any info left on the phone after that, it will take some sophisticated equipment and someone who knows how to "get into" phones to pull anything up. And the chances of anybody doing that is slim to none, because it's not worth their time to do something like that....it is very time consuming.

So, resetting your phone is your best option before doing anything with it. Even throwing it away. LOTS of people hunt for items in garbage.

If you dont want your phone after resetting it, give it to charity. If you buy iphones, there are even places that will pay you to buy these phones back.



If your phone company does not know how to reset the phone (then they are a worthless company), look in the phone manual and see if the instructions are there. If not, then you can get the instructions online by googling your brand and type of phone with the words "reset to OEM specs".

[partis]

Everytime i buy a new phone its cause my current one doesnt work ( I do something to phones )

Anyway even after everything you mentioned there is ways and means to get that old information, i will destroy it… sorry you havent changed my mind… its not worth it.

[LONDONER]

Londoner did you hear the recent piece in the news about mobile phones, some reporters brought 9 supposedly "cleared" phones from different retailers, the reporters got all the information from the previous owners, bank details, everything they ever did on that phone was still available.

I had one phone for at least 3 years, i destroyed it rather than sell it… sim card or no sim card… turned out i was right to do that!

Yes, I did. I think they said that iPhones were free from that problem so I won't worry too much, more so because there is nothing on my 'phone. that I need to worry about. All the same, if I ever need to replace my 'phone., I would destroy it rather than sell it.