Odds are they are too easy to decipher.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/how-crackers-make-minced-meat-out-of-your-passwords/

Even a kiddie with a single computer can try 3 Billion guesses a second.

(That’s the same as the number of seconds in the last 100 years.) 

The really bad guys can try 350 Billion in a second.

Want a secure password?  Here’s what it should look like:

227Gq.g9AvTZ23U}22iK^7g

Here’s what it should NOT look like:

momof3g8kids

Yep: that means you need software to keep track of your passwords… unless your memory is a lot more capable than most.

I’ve recently switched over. It was a pain to redo dozens of passwords, but now mine are pretty brute-force proof.

Further, I changed the answer to my “security” questions:

What is your mother’s maiden name?
Answer: 37Fc8{<RtG9p&78492p

I did this on my important accounts first – the ones where money is involved: bank; iTunes; PayPal and so on.

I’m also no longer using the same password for two different sites.

This is a real PITA, because now I need something with me to get my passwords, and I have to keep my devices sync’d with that information.

Welcome to the information age.

Tracy

Oh… Ars promises a review of password software soon. I’ll post the listing.  I use 1Password.