'Passphrases' solve online security troubles

January 11, 2012 18:26
By using memorable material to extend password length beyond a dozen characters, consumers and business professionals would be significantly safer from the advances of popular password cracking tools.

As more and more sensitive information finds it way into the hands of hackers, traditional password protection strategies are coming under fire. Although biometrics and other advanced solutions are likely still years away, so-called passphrases may be the next best online security strategy.

The seemingly inescapable paradox in online security these days is the thought that: the stronger a password is, the harder it becomes for its owner to remember. As a result, simple passwords continue to be the norm even within the ranks of industry leaders and government agencies.

To date, the best approach has been taking the burden out of human hands and leaving the task of password creation and management to a password organizer tool. But even they have to be guarded by a critical master password.

According to Dark Reading contributing editor Erica Chickowski, passphrases could be the answer. For example, users could select a sentence from their favorite book and use the first letter of each word as the password combination.

By using memorable material to extend password length beyond a dozen characters, consumers and business professionals would be significantly safer from the advances of popular password cracking tools. And when utilized as the login to a password manager, passphrases can provide airtight online security.

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