One thing many of people tend to overlook is their own personal information security. Is your home computer password easy to guess? Why? Is your phone code only 4 digits? Why? (Did you know the police may search your phone without a warrant if they can crack the passcode? But it's not only them, it's the guy who "finds" the phone when you leave it sitting on the bench right beside you.)
Financial information, personal data, private photographs... Most of us now have these things in our pockets and secure them with a simple 4-digit code. Think about it.
When you get serious about securing your data, go on over here and check out this tool. Put in your passwords (or, for the really paranoid, put in something that isn't one of your passwords but follows the same type of pattern) and it'll predict how long, given modern technology, that password would take to crack. Standard type password like your dog's name? (Let's try Rover.) Less than a day to crack it.
By the way, the best way to create a strong password? Pick a phrase. Take the first letter of each word. Capitalize some and replace others with other characters that are similar (and thus easy to remember). Add something to the end to make it specific to the site where you use it.
So, for example: My name is Redneck and I hunt fugitives. First letters: MniRaIhf. A couple are already capitalized, so now just a few substitutions: Mn!RaIh4. Let's see what that tool says about that one. [inputs it] Well, the tool says it'll take 110 years to crack that one. See the difference?
Secure your information, people. It really isn't that hard.
- Redneck
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