Can you pass the password test?

Bruce Shneier, a security technologist and author, wrote a recent article entitled, "Passwords are not broken, but how we choose them sure is", which is all about passwords, how we choose them and how easy they are to crack. Yes, they are easy to crack if you don't know the basics of security.

Shneier outlines a few things that password hackers look for:

- Does the word appear in a dictionary - English or foreign?
- Does the password include a name, meaningful date, a phonetic pattern, an appendage or common capitalization?
- Of the appendages used (example: password123!, "123!" being the appendage), are double-digits, dates or single symbols used?

Password hackers will do research before trying to guess your password. With their seemingly magical powers - to lay people - they can divine all sorts of personal information from your internet browsing patterns and activities, making it exceedingly easy to guess your all-important passwords.

In an attempt to teach AlertPay members about password security, take a moment to answer the following questions. If you answer yes to more than two, you may want to consider resetting your passwords:

1. Do you use foreign words or words that appear in any dictionaries?
2. Do you use typical capitalization and appendages?
3. Do you use dates as appendages?
4. Do you use common substitutions like "$" for "S" and "1" for "I"?
5. Do you use the same password for multiple applications, including online banking?
6. Do you share your password with other people?

If you answered "Yes" to all or most of these, please know that you are increasing the risk of compromising the security of your personal information, and subsequently, your identity. But you're not alone! A lot of us are guilty of the above password offenses, but like the old adage goes, "it's better to be safe that sorry".

Shneier recommends choosing your passwords like this: make up a sentence, "This little piggy went to the market", and create a password with the letters, "tlpWENT2m" and throw in a random letter substitution for good measure. Apparently, this is a recipe for online security and uncrackable passwords.

Try it today and share your internet security stories with us!