TIL my neighbor thought his 'Password123' was strong because it had a capital letter.

He told me this yesterday while asking for help with his email. I explained that basic patterns like that get cracked in under a second by automated tools. I showed him a site that tests password strength, and his face just dropped. Now he's using a proper passphrase. How do you even begin to explain this stuff without sounding like you're scolding them?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.margaret29d ago

Ever feel like a hypocrite? I used "monkey123" for years and thought I was a genius for the number swap. Had to change like forty accounts after a data leak. It's a rite of passage.

mia_scott7729d ago

Wow, @grant.margaret gets it, we all start somewhere before learning about passphrases.

mary6141d ago

But what if simple passwords are actually safer for most people? A passphrase you forget is worse than a weak one you remember, and not everyone is a high value target. Sometimes the basic option works fine.