The Gist
Twelve character passwords are the new minimum for basic online protection, as GPU power continues to increase.
Let’s be honest – you use one password (or a variation thereof) for a multitude of logins. Be it your Facebook, work computer, or emails, it gets hard to keep track of so many passwords, especially when you need at least 8 characters including numbers, letters, symbols, and capitalizations! Where does it end? Apparently not soon, as 12 characters will phase out the old 8. Here are some sobering stats that might make you think twice before you use “Password” or “12345678” as your old faithful.
Georgia Tech research Institute has reported cracking 8 character passwords in less than 2 hours.
With GPU systems getting faster and smarter, less time is needed in sequencing random passwords until one is unlocked. The longer the password, the less likely it will be cracked.
Georgia Tech hypothesizes that if a hacker can try 1 trillion password combinations per second, a 12-character password would take 17,134 years to crack.
A 12-character password is like any other preemptive chore, you probably should spend the time to create a good one or risk big issues later down the line. The more non-letter characters in the mix the better.
For personal security, it’s up to you. For your company’s security, leave it to us! With 24/7 monitoring and reporting, we protect your most valuable information and that of your clients. Do not risk compromising information, and receive peace of mind with our solutions and services. At Affant, we’re on your side.
Affant Director of Engineering since 2000. Management of engineering and support team, Escalation of all technical and client issues. Sales and design engineer.
