Sick of Complex Passwords? Try a ‘Passphrase’

Cyberattackers are vigilant at trying to abscond with passwords to users’ accounts, with which they can gain unauthorized access and target important information such as bank accounts, email accounts and other sensitive data. Creating and remembering complex passwords as a means to thwart these efforts can be tiresome. Did you know that you can use passphrases, instead, as a means of security? Their strength lies in their length, not complexity. Here are a few key attributes:

• A passphrase is a series of words that can contain over 20 characters (if the site allows it).
• You can modify the phrase with special characters, and should always protect with multifactor authentication, if possible.
• You can use a password manager to store various passphrases, so that you don’t have to remember every passphrase each time you log on to a protected site.

This article covers more useful information on “passphrases.”

These tips are courtesy of the ACBA Legal Technology and e-Discovery Committee and the Dec. 9 OUCH! Newsletter (a free monthly security awareness newsletter published by the SANS Institute).