Here is a shock: all passwords, 8 characters or less, no matter how carefully crafted can be cracked. That’s how good cracking computers have become. Today’s cracking software running on a regular computer, can make 15.5 billion guesses per second!
Back in June, LinkedIn had their password database hijacked, loosing about 6.5 million passwords. Even though they were encrypted, an independent security expert, working with LinkedIn, took a shot at their database, seeing how many passwords he could unravel.
He cracked 20% of the passwords in their database in just 30 seconds! That is food for thought. In two hours, he had cracked a total of 53%.Of course, it got a little harder after that. But in 24 hours total, he had 64% cracked…and after 5 days, 88% of the passwords were completely hacked. And he was using a regular computer in his bedroom!
The software used to crack passwords is available for free on the Net, along with videos and tutorials. Have I scared you yet?
I hope so. All this info sure scares me. The easiest way to protect yourself is to use LastPass (free) in your browser and let it generate random passwords at least 12 characters long. Use a different password for each account. You will not be able to remember these passwords, but LastPass will do it for you.
In any case, I’ve included the original news story here that started all this. although it is long and technical in places, give it a read, then immediately start changing your passwords.
I’ve also included a story on Apple’s huge $1 billion dollar lawsuit victory over Samsung and what it means. And today’s software focus is on photography…specifically how best to organize you photos. So let’s get to it. -JRC
Why passwords have never been weaker-and crackers have never been stronger
The ancient art of password cracking has advanced further in the past five years than it did in the previous several decades combined. At the same time, the dangerous practice of password reuse has surged. The result: security provided by the average password in 2012 has never been weaker.
The Apple vs. Samsung decision is a game-changer
Friday's record-breaking jury award of more than $1 billion to Apple in its patent lawsuit against rival smartphone-maker Samsung is a big deal, and pundits, analysts and lawyers have been scrambling since the jury verdict came down to figure out what it means for the future.
Kodak to Sell its Camera Film Business
It’s a sad day for film photographers: Kodak has announced that it will sell off its camera film business, one of the huge pillars of what made Kodak Kodak in the eyes of consumers around the world.
Firefox 15 offers fewer leaks, more frags
Another month, another Firefox update. But although Mozilla's breakneck release pace can be bewildering for some users, new Firefox versions continue to bring performance, stability, and security improvements – and in the case of the newly released Firefox 15, some nice goodies for gamers.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall Launches Today
With this move, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall competes directly against Microsoft Security Essentials and the built-in Windows firewall. PCWorld has not yet tested this product's effectiveness, but I sat down with the software to evaluate its features.
Optimizing your Wi-Fi network
There are a few ways to make sure you get the best out of your Wi-Fi network. With some, you just need to do a little bit of tweaking; with others, depending on your home, you might need to get extra equipment.
Organize Those Digital Photos!
Clear out the closet, toss aside old shoe boxes, and put all your photos--digital and paper--into your computer.
Easy ways to organize your digital photos
We'll show you simple ways to organize your digital photos for easy image searching and sharing. (Ignore the HP commercial at the end)
Best Free Digital Photo Organizers
In the first group, my best in class list has four choices: FastStone Image Viewer, Zoner Photo Studio Free, XNView and, for those who use a Linux operating system, digiKam. In the second group Picasa and Windows Live Photo Gallery are my top picks.
Organize your digital photos with Picasa
Anyone with a digital camera knows it doesn't take much to wind up with a hard drive littered with thousands of files named things like IMG_1892.jpg. In my quest to organize all the stuff that's accumulated on my hard drive, I knew that sooner or later, my little digital photo problem would rear its ugly head.
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