Hive Systems, a cybersecurity company located in Richmond, Virginia, conducts a study each year that examines how long it takes hackers to crack a password based on its composition.
Obviously the simpler and shorter the password is, the easier it is to crack. The longer and more complicated it is, the harder it is to crack. More to the point is the amount of time they concluded it takes to break in. Some passwords can be broken in an alarmingly short amount of time. Others of course take much longer.
What’s particularly interesting though is when you compare last year’s study to this year’s findings. What is striking is the amount of time it takes to hack virtually ANY password has decreased dramatically. Apparently, despite everyone’s efforts to devise the strongest password, cybercriminals are getting thorough them faster than ever before.
What this all points toward is the critical need to do more than just create strong passwords. Companies and individuals need to take full advantage of additional security measures to protect themselves more completely. Password management systems, multi-factor authentication tools, security tokens, and so on should be considered to supplement a strongly structured password.
