Intel: 4238 Years to Crack My Password

According to this website that Intel has created: https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/www/us/en/forms/passwordwin.html, it would take about 4238 years to crack my password.

Which does make me wonder, it being Intel, that they are taking into account Moore’s law, which is the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years.

Speaking of passwords, they:

• Should be at least twelve characters long.
• Do not contain your user name, real name, or company name.
• Do not contain a complete word.
• Should be significantly different from previous passwords.
• Should contain characters from each of the following four categories:
  • Uppercase letters
    • A, B, C
  • Lowercase letters
    • a, b, c
  • Numbers
    • 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
  • Symbols found on the keyboard (all keyboard characters not defined as letters or numerals) and spaces
    • ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ – + = { } [ ] \ | : ; ” ‘ < > , . ? /

I’ve actually had a lot of talks in regards to passwords recently, and not just because May 7th was World Password Day. Talks about using a password generator, a password safe, and even an disk encryption software.

Password programs, like Password Safe, which protects passwords with the Twofish encryption algorithm, was designed by the world reknown Bruce Schneier. Using this program, you can generate some complex passwords and quickly, and easily, use them.

Disk encryption programs like TrueCrypt, adding yet another layer of security to keeping your passwords safe… and portable if you wished. We discussed having our USB drives containing a hidden encrypted volume, then storing our password safes on there. Alternatively using a cloud storage, such as Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox.

Until we retire the password with an alternate, better solution, you have to keep in mind that passwords are the primary safeguard to all your finances, your insurance, your online social life, your voicemail, your identity… You keep your password safe, complex, hard to guess, and you make it just a little harder for the bad guys to get your stuff.

UPDATE: TRUECRYPT IS NOT SECURE