An 18-character password with just numbers would require three weeks to crack, but one with the same number of characters using lowercase letters would take 2 million years to crack. On the plus side, even simpler passwords with a greater number of characters are less vulnerable to cracking in a short amount of time, according to Hive’s research. SEE: Password breach: Why pop culture and passwords don’t mix (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Shorter passwords with only one or two character types, such as only numbers or lowercase letters, or only numbers and letters, would take just minutes to crack. A seven-character complex password could be cracked in 31 seconds, while one with six or fewer characters could be cracked instantly. How to secure your email via encryption, password management and more (TechRepublic Premium)Īs described in a recent report, Hive found that an 8-character complex password could be cracked in just 39 minutes if the attacker were to take advantage of the latest graphics processing technology. Meet the most comprehensive portable cybersecurity device But complexity by itself can still open your password to cracking if it doesn’t contain enough characters, according to research by security firm Hive Systems. And “complex” typically means using lowercase and uppercase characters, numbers and even special symbols. Security experts keep advising us to create strong and complex passwords to protect our online accounts and data from savvy cybercriminals.

For more info, visit our Terms of Use page. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. How an 8-character password could be cracked in less than an hourĪdvances in graphics processing technology have slashed the time needed to crack a password using brute force techniques, says Hive Systems.

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