豆知识 2010-10-24&10-30 密码保卫战

 Often, there is surely only one thingstanding between your sensitive information and criminals, your password. Ifthey get it, they can get into bank accounts and private files, and wreak¹ havoc². For this reason, it’simportant to know what makes a password strong and secure. This is SecurePasswords Explained by Common Craft. 

 

 

Chances are, you use passwords every day.To open your computer, log on your favorite websites, to get work done. Theeasy route is to have a simple password that works everywhere. Unfortunately,this can be a problem. Criminals are very good at guessing passwords. Some havecomputer programs that can make millions of guesses until something works. Andif they already know information about you, it is even easier. Your job is tocreate a password that is very hard to guess. Here’s how. 

 

Your first thought may be to use a pet'sname, a birth date, an address or part of a phone number. These things are tooeasy for criminals to discover. So don't use them. Your password should notinclude information about you. 

 

Thankfully, there are ways to havememorable but hard-to-guess passwords. Consider this: in addition to single words,phrases can also be easy to remember. Maybe it’s a favorite song lyric³ orquote. An example is "Jack⁴ and Jill went up the hill". That's easy toremember, right? Well, your password is there. It’s the first letter of eachword. In this example, this will be your password. That's not something that iseasily guessed. Here is why. 

 

 

First, it’s not in the dictionary. Thismakes guessing it harder. There are about 60,000 words in English. A computercan test out those words pretty quickly, so don't use them. But there's more.This password could still be stronger by adding upper-case letters, numbers orspecial characters. So now this is a very strong password, but there is still arisk. If you write it down, be careful where you keep it .Be aware that somebodycan look over your shoulder or find it in your trash. Giving it to loved-onesis also risky⁵. They may not be as cautious as you are. Only you should knowyour password. 

 

 

Criminals may also try to fool you intohanding it over via phone calls. Never tell anyone your password over thephone. And be careful when you get an email that asks for a password. It couldbe a scam. To help avoid problems, don't use the same password everywhere, that'slike having one key that unlocks everything you own. The stakes are high if youlose it. Also, be careful if you use a computer that is not yours. Let's sayyou check email using a computer in a store, library or computer lab. You login, check email and walk away. The next person to use that computer now hasaccess to your email account and all the information in it. Always remember tolog out of each site you visit on a computer that isn't yours. 

 

 

Passwords are an essential part of lifeonline, and if we’re not careful about keeping them secret, they can cause bigproblems. By understanding the risks, and making passwords stronger, we canfeel a little more secure.

1 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

2 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

3 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。