A:
Given enough time and using the correct tools, a hacker can break into a computer and access the files. One reason hackers are able to break into computer systems so easily is because the user did not create a strong enough password. Many computer users create passwords after their family pets, favourite objects and familiar words. This is an extremely bad idea.

For starters, don’t choose a password that is in the dictionary. It takes password cracking software about 10 seconds to crack a word that is in the dictionary. The password cracking software uses a dictionary file which contains every word in the dictionary. The software takes the words and sends them at the object it is trying to crack. This dictionary file is usually easy to update, since a site on Google provides hundreds of results.

For more effective passwords, try taking two or three words, slicing them at random points and them crunching them together. For example, I could use house and railroad. My outcome might result as “houroad,” which is not in the dictionary.

However the above is not always the best way to go when choosing password. Eventually, it will be cracked, probably within nine days or so. If you are locking important information, this is not good enough.

The best password that a user can create is by mixing upper and lower case letters with numbers. An example of this would be “5xBM34z.” This password would probably take around 238 years or so to crack. (I don’t know a single hacker who would want to wait that long). These types of passwords are hard to memorize, but are the hardest to crack.

The length of the password is a major factor as well. The longer the password, the longer it takes to crack. To make the most complex password, a user can also add symbols to their password. Again, the greater the complexity of the password, the greater the time it takes to break it.