The Actual Time It Takes Hackers To Crack a Password + Celeb Phone Hacking

Posted on by Jim Lastinger Leave a comment

How long does it take to break a password?Do you ever wonder how secure your passwords are?

In light of the recent celebrity phone hacking scandal which resulted in revealing pictures of 100 celebs being posted and shared online and via social media, you’re probably wondering how secure your own passwords are.

The hacker, in this case, “took advantage of a security flaw in Apple’s online backup service, iCloud. Many online services lock someone out after several unsuccessful attempts to log in, but not Apple’s Find My iPhone app and iCloud. That has been changed by Apple in the aftermath of the nude celebrity photo scandal. But with unlimited guesses, a computer program can generate and test thousands of potential passwords until an account is entered. It is called a brute force attack. The tendency of many people to choose weak passwords and to use the same password for each service helped. Once a celebrity’s Find My iPhone app password is discovered, the same password often can access iCloud. People might never know their accounts have been compromised.” (quote from CNN.com)

With that in mind, if your passwords resemble something along the lines of “123456” or “password” or you use the same password for all sites, you’re putting yourself unnecessarily at risk.

Smart hackers are adept at breaking codes in little time, and when you use a simple or common password, you’re opening yourself up to be the victim of online crime.

Here is the actual time it take a hacker to break a password:

  • Lowercase, 6 characters = 5 minutes
  • Lowercase, 9 characters = 2 months
  • Uppercase & Lowercase, 6 characters = 5.5 hours
  • Uppercase & Lowercase, 9 characters = 88 years
  • 6 characters with numbers & symbols = 8.5 days
  • 9 characters with numbers & symbols = 19,985 years

As you can see, adding a length and complexity to your passwords pays off BIG TIME.

Here’s a little tip, instead of using simple words for your passwords, use phrases. For example: “Time flies when you’re having fun!” becomes “TFlyzwhenurhavinFUN!”

A password like that won’t be cracked for millennia! 

And, be sure to use a different password or password variation for every site with a secure log-in.

For extra protection, look into a Virtual Private Network to protect your data and privacy on all your devices, anywhere in the world! Read more HERE.

For the full scoop on the celebrity phone hacking scandal, watch the video below.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.38.23 AM

 

This post was inspired by an element of this infographic.

Ghost Path Proposes a “National Password Day”

Posted on by Jim Lastinger 2 Comments
National Password Day

We have days throughout the year commemorating everything from doughnuts to the color purple, but we don’t have a day for one of the most important aspects of modern life. We need a “National Password Day” to remind everyone of the importance of routinely changing your passwords.

The Plan

May 20th is the day that we’ve chosen. Every year on May 20th (starting in 2014, most likely) social media will be blanketed with reminders to change passwords for the services you use most (email, Facebook, etc.). The goal is for major media outlets to start covering the movement and spreading the word to mainstream internet users, who are the users that likely need the most advice for protecting themselves online.

Why You Should Change Your Password Frequently

Usernames, email addresses, and passwords are the keys to your digital life. Someone stealing, guessing, or hacking your password can lead to serious financial consequences and identity theft. Changing your passwords frequently can help keep you vigilant. Also, changing passwords frequently requires you to get creative with your password choices, which is good thing. A weak password is like a door left unlocked… it doesn’t really provide much protection.

How To Choose A Strong Password

What type of password you can choose depends greatly on the service that you’re using. Not every website allows special characters and they all have different length requirements. Keeping that in mind here are a few suggestions:

  • Always mix uppercase and lowercase letters. However, don’t do it obviously. Something like “eaTmoreSteak” is better than “EatMoreSteak”. 
  • Always add numeric characters whenever possible. Again, don’t do it obviously. Think “eaTmore4Steak” instead of “eaTmoreSteak4”.
  • Special characters are your friend. If they are allowed then use them to replace common characters. My favorites are @, !, and _. “e@Tmore4Steak!” is a winner of a password.
  • An outside the box suggestion is to use three or more dictionary words. If spaces are allowed then you can build secure, easy to remember passwords. “eat more steak” is nearly as secure as “e@Tmore4Steak!”, but has the added benefit of being quite easy to remember.

Of course, you should never use your birthday, address, name, pet’s name, mother’s maiden name, anniversary date, etc. as your password. These are far too easy and offer no protection at all.

Help Us Promote National Password Day

We need your help to make National Password Day a reality. Leave a comment below if you believe that having a National Password Day is a good idea. We need to be able to show the level of interest on our application.

We’ve also created a shareable image that you’re free to use.

National Password Day icon