If you are not using strong passwords a hacker can crack it in less than 20 seconds. And just because your computer is behind a locked office door doesn't mean it's safe. A hacker can use your computer and login password over the internet to get into your office network, and that is why a strong password policy is so important.

History Lesson:
Since passwords were introduced in the 1960s, the notion of a "good" password has evolved in response to attacks against them. At first, there were no rules about passwords except that they should be remembered and kept secret. As attacks increased in sophistication, so did the rules for choosing good passwords. Each new rule had its justification and, when seen in context, each one made sense. People rarely had trouble with any particular rule: the problem was with their combined effect.

An early and important source of password rules was the Department of Defense (DOD) Password Management Guideline. Published in 1985, the Guideline codified the state of the practice for passwords at that time. In addition to various technical recommendations for password implementation and management, the Guideline provided recommendations for how individuals should select and handle passwords. In particular, these recommendations yielded the following password rule:

1. Each password you choose must be new and different.

2. Passwords must be memorized. If a password is written down, it must be locked up.

3. Passwords must be at least six characters long, and probably longer, depending on the size of
   the password's character set.

4. Passwords must be replaced periodically.

5. Passwords must contain a mixture of letters (both upper- and lowercase), digits, and punctuation
    characters.

Problem:
Bottom line is: The password must be impossible to remember and never written down. How's that for security! Even the computer user can't get into their own computer. OR they write it on a sticky note and stick it on the monitor for all to see.

Solution:
However, there is a system for creating and remembering strong passwords, Start off with your favorite saying such as:

Gladly Pay You Tuesday For A Hamburger Today. To create a strong password from your favorite saying, take the first letter of each word and alternate between upper and lower case, IE GpYtFaHt Now you have something you can remember. To really spice it up, change the first "t" to a 2, change the"F" to a 4, the "a" to an @, and the t to a ! IE GpY24@H!. And that's the easy way to create and remember a strong password with 8 characters, upper and lower case with numbers and symbols.

1. Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers just won't get it!
2. Don't use GpYtFaHt ! That's my password! :-)