COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTERS
PRESENTS TIPS FOR CREATING STRONG PASSWORDS

LOUISVILLE, KY (December 10, 2007) – Passwords are your keys to accessing electronically stored information.  In many cases you may not notice until it is too late that important details regarding your identity or your business have been stolen or misappropriated. Thus, it’s critical to create “strong” passwords and keep them well protected. On the other hand, you still need to be able to remember them.

What’s one to do? You need strong passwords that are complex and difficult to guess, yet they need to prove memorable.  To achieve this:

Make Them Lengthy - Each character you add exponentially increases the number of attempts required to correctly guess a password.  Your passwords should be at least eight or more characters. 

Use Special Characters - A greater variety of characters or symbols makes your password much harder to crack.  Punctuation symbols significantly increase password strength, including those not found on the upper row of the keyboard (for example ?, {, }, [, and ]).

Leverage Uniqueness - Include words that are easy for you to remember but that prove difficult for others to guess.  Consider using facts only you are likely to know. For example, first pets’ and mother’s maiden names make great password foundations; just be sure to add unique spellings and special characters to foil any acquaintances who might try accessing your data using such personal information.

Avoid Sequences And Repeated Characters -  "12345678," "222222," "abcdefg," and adjacent keyboard letters are common combinations hackers program into automated password cracking applications; avoid using such sequences within your passwords.

Avoid Your Name - Any part of your name, birthday or similar potentially public information should be avoided as passwords. This is especially true if the information can be found on common identification cards (which are frequently lost or stolen).

Avoid Dictionary Words - Hackers use sophisticated computer software that will attempt to guess passwords using multiple language dictionaries, including words spelled backwards, common misspellings, and substitutions. 

Use Multiple Passwords - If any single system or account is compromised, all of your other information protected by that same password may quickly become compromised as well.  Avoid such nightmare situations by using different passwords for different systems and accounts.

So, for memorable, complex passwords:

1. Select a base word that is easy for you to remember.  For example, say you were born in Orlando.

2. Add at least one capital letter and either a number or special character: or1And0

3. Add more words, numbers and special characters to create a phrase:  or1And0washumid!

Once you’ve created strong passwords, make sure your effort’s not in vain. Keep them secure.

Store Passwords Safely - Now you can record a password reminder without giving the password away to an observer. For example, for the above password, you could write “born weather.” This hint would help jostle your memory and remind you the password included where you were born and the location’s weather.

Keep Passwords Secret - Treat your passwords with as much care as the information they protect.  Keep passwords to yourself.  Never provide your password via e-mail or in response to an e-mail request. Change passwords regularly, so as any hacker progresses with guessing your password, they must start from scratch whenever you change it.

Be Careful On Shared Computers – Never enter sensitive passwords when using a public computer, such as found in Internet cafés, airport lounges and public libraries. These computers are insecure and could easily lead to passwords, and your data, being compromised.       

Monitor All Password-Protected Information -  Keep a watchful eye on bank statements, online shopping confirmations and similar items.  If you notice any suspicious activity, change all of your passwords immediately and notify any relevant vendors and authorities.

Computer Troubleshooters provides a full range of dependable computer, networking and technology services at reasonable rates to small businesses, home office workers and residential customers. The Louisville Computer Troubleshooters office can be reached at 502.767.3855; its Web site is www.ct-lou.com.

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Computer Troubleshooters specialists are fully trained and are experts at diagnosing a broad range of computer and technology challenges.

Launched in 1999, Computer Troubleshooters now has more than 465 franchises worldwide, including more than 250 in the United States and Canada and the remainder spanning 21 countries, including Egypt, Greece, Romania, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Spain and Australia, where the company was founded by Wilson and Suzanne McOrist.

Computer Troubleshooters USA was named the top tech support business franchise company in 2005 by Entrepreneur magazine in its annual Franchise 500 rankings.

In October 2005, Franchise Times magazine named Computer Troubleshooters one of its top “Up and Comers,” ranking it #255.