PSMail Quick Tip: Poor passwords are the weakest link in your security. To have the best password, it’s best to think of it not as a password but as a passphrase. A good passphrase is easy to remember but it is also long and contains a mixture of letters, numbers, and/or special characters that make it difficult for anyone to guess. Also, keep in mind that a long passphrase you can remember is better than a short, complex password that you will forget or have to jot down on paper (where it can be lost or stolen).
A common passphrase like “beam me up Scotty” is not a good choice, especially if you are a known Star Trek fan. Some password breakers use a book of the 40,000 most used quotes and phrases.
A good trick is to assign number values to words and embed random characters, or to randomly capitalize certain letters. For example, “coffee maker” becomes “coFFee mak3r” and “casper can fly” becomes “caSper c&n fLy”. Such changes will extend the thief’s search by about 1 million tries per word.
Note: PSMail allows you to have space in your password.