ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the many password threats, how to keep passwords secret, how to choose strong passwords, and last but not least, methods to assist in effectively managing the many passwords that one needs to remember to function in everyday life. It describes the many threats passwords face, so one should pay close attention to which of these threats are mitigated by password strength and which are mitigated by password secrecy. Passwords by their very nature are secrets, and when such a secret is revealed to another person, the knowledge cannot be directly controlled or unlearned—thus it is no longer a secret. Corporations and websites alike have and will continue to be susceptible to hacking incidents that result in the disclosure of their clients’ passwords. There are numerous methods of attack that seek to compromise usernames and passwords. The objective of creating a strong password is to prevent against many types of guessing attacks like brute-force or dictionary attacks.
