password

Passwords are the secret series of characters that provide users with access to a file, computer or program. On the multi-user systems, each user must enter his or her password before the computer responds to commands. In order to verify that someone entering that user ID is really that person, a second identification, the password, known only to that person and to the system itself, is entered by the user.

A password should be a unique word or string of characters that only you know. If others know your password, they can gain access to the resources, such as websites, financial accounts, and email, that you want to keep private.

Ideally, the password should be something that nobody could guess. In practice, most people choose a password that is easy to remember, such as their name or their initials. This is one reason it is relatively easy to break into most computer systems.

‘Strong password’ is a term used to describe a password that is an effective password that would be difficult to break. Often a strong password has between six and ten characters (the more the better), numbers, other characters, and both upper and lowercase characters.

Example: SecreT!2

Example: secret

Security professionals believe you should use multiple passwords, so that all of your information is not compromised in the event one of your passwords became compromised.