Users in Russia are urged to create complex passwords consisting of at least fifteen characters to safeguard themselves against cyber attacks by hackers.
Hackers Can Crack Short Passwords in seconds: Here's What Experts Recommend
amplify your password's security against cyber threats. Here's what the experts at Kaspersky Lab suggest.
Sergei Golovanov, a renowned expert at Kaspersky Lab, has hinted at the alarming ease with which hackers can break short passwords. In an interview, he explained that even a mix of numbers, letters, or symbols in a password of five to seven characters can be breeched by cybercriminals in just a few seconds.
However, the good news is that from a length of 15 characters, it becomes challenging for hackers, potentially taking thousands of years to crack, according to Golovanov. He emphasized that for a password to be considered secure, it should ideally be 16 characters long, consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols.
But, in the case of companies, convincing thousands of employees to adopt such complex passwords can pose a challenge, as Golovanov noted.
He also pointed out that over the past 20 years, some of the most commonly used passwords have been "password" and its variations, like "p@rol", "par0l", "paro1", etc. These are easily crackable, especially with programs that generate possible combinations.
Even stolen password databases, if not properly protected, can be vulnerable. A computer with a decent graphics card can test up to 15 million variants per second, allowing passwords of seven digits to be cracked "in less than a second", Golovanov added.
So, what should you do?
Kaspersky Lab recommends aiming for passwords of at least 12-16 characters or more, combining uppercase with lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols to boost complexity. They advise against using dictionary words or predictable substitutions, emphasizing the importance of true randomness and avoiding repeated patterns, as both humans and AI can fall into these traps.
Moreover, it's crucial not to reuse passwords across accounts. AI-generated passwords, while seemingly strong, tend to use certain characters and patterns repeatedly, making them less secure.
Adhering to these recommendations can significantly enhance your password security and protect you from potential cyber threats.
Insights: Kaspersky Lab suggests aiming for passwords of at least 12-16 characters or more, using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. They strongly advise against using dictionary words or predictable substitutions and emphasize the importance of true randomness to avoid repeated patterns in both human- and AI-generated passwords. It is also crucial not to reuse passwords across accounts.
Strengthen your cybersecurity by creating passwords that are at least 12-16 characters long, incorporating uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. This complexity, along with avoiding dictionary words or predictable substitutions, significantly bolsters password security against cyber threats.
To further protect yourself, ensure each password is unique across all accounts, as reusing passwords weakens your overall security, even with complex passwords.
