"Do You Even Password, Bro?"

Computers     From Paul Gil, your About Computers Editor     When I first read about ‘Seinfeld’ being the most common password amongst cracked users at Sony, I laughed out loud. People must be really lazy or really uninformed to choose a password that is a regular word or proper noun. These passwords are so easy to crack!   More Recommended Reading at About.com: How to Build Your Brand on Facebook 10 Interesting Things About Google Cloud Would You Shop on Twitter? Follow us on:     What Does a Strong Password Look Like? Hackers use ‘brute force’ (aka ‘dictionary’) programs to guess their victims’ passwords.  These tools go through alphabetic lists of English words and proper nouns, and after hundreds of thousands of attempts, they then start to do combinations of numbers and unusual characters.  Knowing this will help you choose a password that is extremely tough to crack.  Here are some examples… READ NOW   Windows 10: What We Know Microsoft has skipped from 8 to 10, and it will be a good operating system.  There is also a strong possibility that Windows 8 users may get Windows 10 for free.  The charms bar and the Start Menu are making an exit/encore, and Cortana might even be a native app.  These are some of the exciting rumors about the impending new Microsoft OS… READ NOW   Hackers Don’t Want You to Know These 4 Secrets… WEP and MAC protection is easily defeated. Remote router administration is candy for hackers.  And public wi-fi spots are prime pickings for a talented hacker.  These are four trade secrets of the hacking craft.  About.com explains more on how these secrets work, and what you can do to defend yourself… READ NOW   Is That Used iPhone Stolen? Thieves love the iPhone.  It has so much brand appeal to smartphone users.  And when Apple charges a premium price for you to buy brand new, it can be very tempting to buy used.  But is that used iPhone really legit?  Maybe it is a stolen device!  Here’s how you can check on an iPhone’s history… READ NOW   ADVERTISEMENT Featured Articles Social Networking Addiction Is Very Real, Folks What Does ‘TIL’ Stand Mean? HBO Is Coming to the Web! Choosing Your Next iPad: Which One Is Best for You? Are Touchscreen PC’s Worth the Money? What Happens to Your Facebook Page When You Die? More from About.com Sign up for Shareables! An every-morning rundown of the day in history, with headlines and trends produced by your pals at About.com. Click here to sign up! It's free (of course) and we think you'll like it! Want More From About.com? Check out our social channels tailored to every interest! Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Computers newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 Privacy Policy © 2014 About.com