A study of 28,000 passwords by Robert Graham of Errata Security revealed a distinct lack of creativity by U.S. computer users. The statistical analysis found:
- 16% used their own first name or that of one of their children
- 14% used simple keyboard combinations such as "123456789" or "QWERTY"
- 5% of the passwords were of television shows, famous names, etc. such as "Hannah," "Matrix," or "Ironman"
- 4% used the word "password" or a close variation "password1"
- 3% used phases such as "Idontcare," "Whatever," "Yes," or "No."
Security experts suggest a password of a minimum of eight characters with at least one capital letter and one symbol. Many suggest having a "mnemonic password". For example:
- L@Gs4sa7ya - Lincoln at Gettysburg said four score and seven years ago
- Ih8h2rsmp - I hate having to remember so many passwords
- Mpcmagr8APPl - Mnemonic passwords could make a great AP Psychology lesson
For a detailed report on mnenomic passwords go to http://www.uninformed.org/?v=all&a=33&t=sumry
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