Password security

The less likely it is that your password can be guessed or calculated, the more secure it is. And the more secure your password is, the more secure the data, emails, computers, company networks, etc. it protects. Passwords are usually a combination of numbers, letters and special characters that serve as access keys to devices (e.g. computers, smartphones), computer programs or online services such as e-mail, social media and other platforms with confidential data.

What does password security mean in detail?

• Password security is influenced by several factors. Among other things, by the length, complexity, abstraction, frequency of use and secrecy of the respective password.
• The harder a password is to guess, the more secure it is.
  • Particularly common and therefore very easy to guess passwords are e.g. “admin”, “123456” and “password”
  • Passwords with a personal reference, e.g. Your date of birth or your child’s name are also easy to guess. – Using a password in only one place increases its security.
  • Cybercriminals repeatedly succeed in exploiting security gaps in companies, online shops, mail providers, etc. and reading the passwords and usernames stored there.
  • They then try to log in with these password-username combinations in other places, for example in the usual online shops. Since many people use the same password in different places, cybercriminals are often successful. Many cybercriminals also create lists of the illegally obtained password-username combination and sell or publish them on the dark web. – Abstract character combinations are safer than words that appear in dictionaries.
  • In the event of a cyberattack, the contents of dictionaries are often tried out. This means that words are found faster than random letter combinations that have to be calculated.
• The fewer people know your password, the more secure it is.
  • Whether in your circle of acquaintances or on the password lists of cybercriminals, if someone knows your password, they can misuse it – or unintentionally compromise it.
• The longer and more complex a password is, the more secure it is. Because it takes much longer before it can be calculated.
  • In “brute force attacks”, a large number of potential passwords are calculated and tested in a very short time.
  • The longer a password is and the more character types it contains, the more possible combinations there are and the harder it is to calculate.
  • The formula of the possible combinations is: Number of possible characters Password length
    • With an 8-digit password made of numbers, you have 10 possible characters (the numbers 0 – 9) and a password length of 8: 108 = 100,000,000 possible combinations
    • 100,000,000 possible combinations are quickly calculated. This is because a standard computer can calculate about 1 billion possible combinations per second. The above example password can be calculated in 0.1 seconds at the latest.

• Two very important factors for password security are the number of possible characters and the password length.
  • You can choose from the following types of characters: numbers, lowercase letters, uppercase letters and special characters. That’s a maximum of 96 characters.
  • The security of your password grows exponentially with the length of your password. As a result, additional jobs make a big difference
  • Example: The above-mentioned password with 8 characters, character type only numbers, is calculated in 0.1 seconds at the latest. Calculation time with 9 characters: 1 second. With 10 characters: 10 seconds. With 12 characters: 17 minutes. An 8-character password, consisting of upper and lower case letters, can be guessed in 15 hours at the latest. Computing time with 9 characters: 33 days. With 10 characters: 5 years. With 12 characters. 12,400 years. An 8-character password, which is made up of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and special characters, takes up to 84 days of computing time. With 9 characters: 22 years. With 10 characters: 2,108 years. With 12 characters: 19 million years.

Where do I encounter this topic in my everyday work?

You certainly encounter it all the time. After all, so many people use the same password multiple times because passwords have to be entered in numerous places. Password security is often underestimated, but it serves to protect your digital identity.

What can I do to protect myself?

• Choose complex passwords. If possible, combine all available character types (numbers, lowercase letters, uppercase letters, special characters) and leave your password as long as possible. 8 characters are considered the minimum size. But you’ve seen above how much of an impact even one or two extra signs have.
• Do not use existing words or even well-known related sentences (e.g. AllemeineEntchen..), keep your password abstract.
• Use each password only in one place. If necessary, use a password manager to achieve this. Or develop a system that allows you to generate unique, complex passwords for each one.
• Keep your password secret. The typical reminder note with the password on the screen can easily be exploited by unauthorized persons.
• If possible, use two-factor authentication. This also offers you protection if your password has been guessed.