September 2006 Issue
Page 4

NATIONAL NEWS

PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER INFORMATION

Who Else Knows Your Password????

These days it seems everyone has five to ten of them. Entering a password when you log onto a computer system is as routine today as tying your shoes. One of the main issues with passwords is that users forget them. In an effort to remember them, they use simple things like their pet's name, their sons first name, the name of the current month - anything that will give them a clue to remember their password(s)!

For the curious hacker who has somehow gained access to your computer system, this is the equivalent of locking your door and leaving the key under the mat. Without even resorting to any specialized tools a hacker can discover your basic personal information - name, children's names, pet's name, etc. and try all of those as potential passwords. To create a secure password that is easy for you to remember but hard to guess, follow these simple steps:

• Do not use personal information. You should never use personal information as a part of your password. It is very easy for someone to guess things like your last name, pet's name, and other similar details.
• Do not use real words. With today's computing power, there are tools available to help attackers, by trying every word in the dictionary and find your password, It is best if you do not use real words for your password.
• Mix different character types. You can make a password much more secure by mixing different types of characters. Use some uppercase letters along with lowercase letters, numbers and even special characters such as '&' or '%'.
• Use a passphrase. Rather than trying to remember a password created using various character types, which is also not a word from the dictionary, you can use a passphrase. For example, use a phrase instead of a word and substitute characters for letters such as "Le@rn2f1y".

Passwords are a necessary, though inconvenient, part of our lives. All systems need them to have a simple-to-implement first level of defense. This is the core value of a password. The question for us is how do we work with them and not go out of our minds!
Passwords need to be difficult to crack and easy to remember. Because passwords are a pain to remember and keep track of, people tend to put little effort into creating them, thus compromising their own security and the security of others. The weakest link to your computer system is your password no matter how secure your office is. Using the tips above will help you create passwords that are more secure and improve your protection and the protection of others.

mlesswing@crt.realtors.org
Windows password basics
Various passwords topics
Guide to better password practices

Source:  National Association of REALTORS®

SUPRA NEWS

WEB SITE LAUNCH

As you may have already noticed, Supra has recently updated their supraekey.com website! They performed a comprehensive review of the content and listened to their customers, to provide a fresh new look.  They are very pleased with this response and would like to say, "Thank you!"  They hope you enjoy the new look!

If you have not seen the new website design, click on the same URL that you have always used: http://www.supraekey.com and see for yourself!

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