Today it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t use the Internet every day. However, to find someone who would not more or less regularly use a computer is generally unrealistic. Because of this proliferation of computer technology, a strong password is important. What is it, by the way? If translated into Russian, then this is just a password. However, why only? Indeed, the safety of your personal data depends on its reliability, which is very, very much in our time!
Key Rules for Creating a Strong Password
- First, the code expression should not be too short. The minimum permissible length is from six characters. Sometimes, whole offers are applied to protect private information.
- Password (User Password) should in no case be obvious. The greatest stupidity is committed by those people who use their name, nickname of their favorite dog or their mobile phone number as a passphrase. All this information is known to other people. If a potential attacker knows you, it will not be difficult for him to pick up such a password.
- Uniqueness! In no case should you use the same password on several sites, as in the case of hacking, all your accounts will go to the attacker.
- Do not be afraid to update your password. It should not be associated with epitaph on the gravestone, which will never change. It happens that a person who is used to one password does not change it for months, if not years. The longer your passphrase remains unchanged, the higher the probability of its disclosure.
- Privacy and privacy again! We hope that you do not have a stupid habit of gluing stickers with passwords to the monitor. If you have even the slightest suspicion that your secret information has become known to someone, User Password should be changed at the same moment. In no case do not store it in any Word, TXT files and similar documents that every user can open.
Do you know how to create a smart password? What it is? We will tell you now!
Password Tricks
Firstly, always “play” with the register, as this doubles the strength of even simple passwords. Here is an example for you: "EVERY HUNTER WISHES TO KNOW". We assure you that it’s simply impossible to just pick up such a passphrase.
Do not forget that in the password you can use not only numbers and letters, but also various characters. In addition, it will not hurt, if possible, to change the letters to numbers or vice versa: “Sunny morning.” As you can see, in this expression all the letters “O” have been replaced by the number “0”.
In addition, mnemonics will not hurt. Here is a great example: KOZHGSF. Nonsense is complete, but only from the point of view of an ignorant observer. In decoding, it’s the same children's “memory”: every hunter wants to know where the pheasant sits. Of course, we take the unfortunate pheasant for example only. You better take a phrase that matters to you. For example, the first poem learned by you or your child.
Even if you forget the poem itself, its text can always be found on the Internet. By the way, if we are talking about phrases, never use obscene expressions as a password, since they are used in the first and foremost enumeration of options.
Despite the reliability, it is still not worth using a protective expression whose length exceeds 10 characters. It is too long to enter such a password: if you do it daily in a crowded place (at work, for example), someone can gradually learn it. In addition, the risk is too high that you will simply forget it.
Please note that Password Recovery is 100% impossible. Recovering a passphrase just doesn’t work, because you - at best - lose your user preferences. In a word, one does not need to create difficulties for oneself.
We do not recommend using programs to generate random passwords. And the point here is not only the fear of the creators of this application, which may suddenly turn out to be hackers, but also in common sense. Of course, a random combination of 20 characters, consisting of random characters, numbers, etc., is very reliable. But you are guaranteed not to remember it, and therefore you will be forced to record all the time.
Recommendations for the correct use of browsers
If you often work with several sites, then for sure at least some of the passwords are stored in your browser. It should never be so!
The fact is that today there are hundreds and thousands of malicious programs that exploit the vulnerabilities of Internet browsers by stealing user passwords. If you have been using the Internet for more than five or six years, then you must remember the massive “taps” of social network accounts among users of Opera. This was precisely due to the massively exploited vulnerability.
How to securely store dozens of passwords?
Everything would be fine, but just what to do if you are simultaneously working with several sites? Not everyone can boast of photographic memory, and writing important code phrases on a piece of paper is too dangerous. What to do in this case?
Keepass
This is an excellent application that allows you to reliably store password databases of any size in encrypted form. To access it, you must know the master password. Of course, it should be as reliable as possible. Best of all, if you come up with an expression of 10-15 characters long.
Since the program is completely free, it can be freely downloaded from the official site. Installation does not present any difficulties, everything is as simple as possible. Note! The developer’s site also has a portable version, ideal for those people who are often forced to work on other people's computers.
When you start it for the first time, a dialog box appears offering to search for updates. We advise you to agree to the jump of the new version, if one is found.
Let's go back to the initial setup of the program. When you enter the master password for the first time, the program will prompt you to confirm your action by specifying the Admin Password again. If everything is in order, the main application window will open in front of you.
How to create a password database?
On the toolbar, click on the "New" button or go to the "File" menu, select the "New" item there. The first dialog box opens, where in the field "Primary Password" you need to enter the most reliable passphrase (as we mentioned above).
In the same window, you can select the option “Use password with password file”. In this case, the entered code will be recognized only if the program has access to a special digital key. If you use Web Money Keeper, you can imagine the reliability of such a scheme.
Please note: later at any time you can change your primary password.
Save the password database
After creating a new password database, save it under some sane name. Make it simple: "Fall / Save As."
By default, the database is saved on the hard disk as a file with the extension .kdb. It seems to be convenient, because in the event of an emergency you can easily find information. On the other hand, potential crackers can be well aware of this feature of the mentioned program. Therefore, the developers of the application provided the opportunity for users to come up with the name and extension of the password database.
The main thing - do not come up with something too original, since such files are also very striking. And you should definitely not call it New Password, since in this case even the most inexperienced hacker will quickly reveal all your secrets. Of course, it is undesirable to choose the application folder on the disk as a place to save password databases. This will significantly increase the security of important information.
Category breakdown
Pay attention to the main program window. In its left part there is a breakdown into categories: “Mail”, “Network Password”. What it is?
These are groups. In this case, they are similar to folders for storing files. This is very convenient, since heterogeneous keys can be quickly sorted. If there is such a desire and need, you can create your own groups. For example, no one will prohibit Email Password from being moved to the "Post Office" category.
Add password notes to the database
To always have before your eyes a reminder of a particular passphrase, go to the "File" menu, select "Edit", and then go to "Add Entry". Here is a list of the main categories that can be tied to any of your passwords:
- Field "Group". This concept we just disassembled.
- Title. Here you need to write at least something meaningful. For example, "Password to access the network."
- You can also save the network name (nickname) with which you use this passphrase.
- If you filled out the previous field, you must enter the documents in the “Address”, where the link to the site where the password stored in the program is used is indicated.
- Finally, you can use the random number generator to generate this same password directly in the program.
Using such useful applications is convenient, but what if you managed to forget the password?
Attention! If you heeded our advice at the beginning of the article, and therefore are going to regularly change the passphrase, there is an extremely useful option “Finish” for you. Indicate in the corresponding field the expiration date of this password, after which the program itself will remind you of this on the right day. Click “OK”, and the procedure for adding information is completed.
Search engine for passwords
In this case, you will again have to turn to a “specially trained” application, widely known among users around the world. It is called Password Finder. This program is paid, costs about $ 25. However, you get very good opportunities for this money.
So, the program can look in the system for not only forgotten passwords, but also the serial numbers of other applications. The software is completely Russified, so that you will not have problems with its study.
Reset passwords in Windows
More often, problems arise due to the fact that the user trivially forgets the password for an account in the system. To reset your own administrator password, you need a Microsoft Windows miniPE edition drive. In fact, this system is a stripped-down version of Windows XP that provides the most basic functionality.
As soon as the OS boots up, click on the “Start” button, go to System Tools, look for the item “Password Renew” (or Reset Password) there. In the dialog box that opens, click on the “Select Windows Folder” button, which is located in its lower right part.
The Browse for Folder window opens, in which you need to specify the location of the Windows folder on the hard drive. Next you need to click on the "Renew existing" button. A drop-down list appears in which you need to find your own account. Everything, Your Password is actually reset.
You only need to enter a new passphrase in the “New Password” field. Confirm it by re-entering the bottom line. After that, you can click on “Install”. If everything went well, a message appears: Password Recovery for NTs is successfuly done!
Click OK and reboot. As soon as the user selection window appears, enter the new password. It should fit without a problem. This is how you can reset Windows Password.
Reset BIOS password
It also happens that the lock is not on the system itself, but on the BIOS. This is much worse, since with a recovery disk alone you won’t lose anything. However, not everything is so bad: there is a very simple and effective way to do this.
Before that, we must turn off the computer, and completely, right up to pulling the plug out of the socket. We remove the side cover from the system unit, after which we find the Clear CMOS switch on the motherboard (usually next to the CMOS battery).
It should have a jumper (jumper), which must be rearranged in the second slot, wait 10 seconds. After that, the switch is returned to its previous position, then the computer is restarted. Please note that this will reset not only the password, but also all BIOS settings, so you will have to restore them manually.
If you do not see any switch, just pull out the battery and wait (usually within a couple of hours). Password will be reset with the same effect.
It remains only to create and save the correct password. What is this, we have already described in detail. You can act!