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Rockstar · 04-06-21, 07:46 AM

When OPM got hacked I got a free year of cyber security too. Of course that year ended a long time ago and now I'm paying for it. Since then I've had two credit cards compromised. But thanks to instant bank notifications and the ability to freeze the cards until I need them. The thieves got nothing. However I think they must have gotten them by breaking into a major retail data bank rather than my computer.

Passwords are important. The people who hacked your information may not have gotten any passwords to break into and immediately see any of your sensitive data. But they may have seen your name and the length of your password. How far they can go depends on the length and complexity of that password.

Back in the day an 8 character password was considered strong and very effective. Not today though. Today's desktop computers with a good hack program can take an 8 character password with upper and lower case letters and crack it by brute force in less than 9 minutes. Adding numbers and special characters to it and only takes them 2.5 hours to hack.

And DO NOT ever ever use dictionary words in a password no matter how long you make them. Hack programs have and search through every imaginable word and variance Moon*Rocks or M0-0nRock$* it doesn't matter. Those kind of passwords will be brute forced instantly

Today it is mandatory your password is no less than 12 RANDOM characters. Simply using 12 random upper and lower case letters increases the time to brute force to 123 years (390 quintillion probabilities). Add special characters and numbers to it and you increase the time to hack to over 8,500 years (26 sextillion probabilities)

Tighten up those passwords!

I use five 12 to 16 random character passwords comprised of upper, lower case letters, number and special characters. I never save them on my PC and I couldn't remember them if I tried, I have to write them down. So as an additional security measure should anyone find the list, I run them together in one long string. Only thing I have to commit to memory is where the breaks are that separates them and what they go too.

04-06-21, 07:46 AM	#17
Rockstar Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Zendia Bar & Grill Posts: 11,848 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	When OPM got hacked I got a free year of cyber security too. Of course that year ended a long time ago and now I'm paying for it. Since then I've had two credit cards compromised. But thanks to instant bank notifications and the ability to freeze the cards until I need them. The thieves got nothing. However I think they must have gotten them by breaking into a major retail data bank rather than my computer. Passwords are important. The people who hacked your information may not have gotten any passwords to break into and immediately see any of your sensitive data. But they may have seen your name and the length of your password. How far they can go depends on the length and complexity of that password. Back in the day an 8 character password was considered strong and very effective. Not today though. Today's desktop computers with a good hack program can take an 8 character password with upper and lower case letters and crack it by brute force in less than 9 minutes. Adding numbers and special characters to it and only takes them 2.5 hours to hack. And DO NOT ever ever use dictionary words in a password no matter how long you make them. Hack programs have and search through every imaginable word and variance MoonRocks or M0-0nRock$ it doesn't matter. Those kind of passwords will be brute forced instantly Today it is mandatory your password is no less than 12 RANDOM characters. Simply using 12 random upper and lower case letters increases the time to brute force to 123 years (390 quintillion probabilities). Add special characters and numbers to it and you increase the time to hack to over 8,500 years (26 sextillion probabilities) Tighten up those passwords! I use five 12 to 16 random character passwords comprised of upper, lower case letters, number and special characters. I never save them on my PC and I couldn't remember them if I tried, I have to write them down. So as an additional security measure should anyone find the list, I run them together in one long string. Only thing I have to commit to memory is where the breaks are that separates them and what they go too. __________________ Guardian of the honey and nuts Let's assume I'm right, it'll save time. Last edited by Rockstar; 04-06-21 at 11:34 AM.