What are some suggestions for user passwords and what can be done to make them difficult to crack?

Passwords should be 8-14 characters in length. The most secure type of password includes a combination of upper and lower case letters, along with numbers and symbols. For instance,M!n8T3B#w5xG would be a very difficult password to crack, even with a brute force attack from a very determined hacker.

Try to avoid using common words in English or other languages, as well as obvious things like your name, a relative’s name or other words that might easily be guessed by an unauthorized user. Here are examples of bad passwords:

• any person’s name including yourself, partner, children, relatives, friends, etc.
• your birthday
• your Social Security Number, telephone number, address, etc.
• words or combinations of words from a dictionary, English or any other language
• numeric sequences, e.g. “1234”
• words spelled backwards

Never under any circumstance make the password the same as your username or use a password such as “username”, “password”, “admin”, “test”, “guest”, etc.
There are several additional tools out there to make it easier to create a strong password. Try out the The Password Meter which can check the strength of your password. Google has also posted a great write-up on how to create good passwords.