I’m sad to announce that the world’s hackers are getting smarter and more determined, and with the increasing usage of AI, password policies are having to get even more stringent to keep pace.  At the time of this writing Greater Mental Health of NY’s current Password requirement was as follows: Users must have a 10 or more (Random) character password which contains all four of the required character types. (Capital Letters, Lower Case Letters, Numbers, and Symbols) and all Passwords must be changed a Minimum of once every 90 days. 

 

Sample Password:          hY8d*l2@gk 

 

I’m sure that you all relish being required to use this type of password. (NOT)

Clearly this type of password is complex but much more difficult for staff to remember.

 

Many staff have successfully adopted the password phrase methodology which uses the First letter of all the words in a sentence to make a complex password! 

 

Sample Password:          I think this Greater Mental Health Password System is the Best! 

IttGMHpw5!tB! 

 

However, as the required complexity grows from 10 to 15 or more characters, this system could become increasingly difficult to utilize due to the length of the required sentence. 

 

We are pleased to present you with a new way to make your password life easier and safer! 

This new 3 (random) word password system will provide you with a secure password, and it's easier to remember.   

 

Sample Password:          Swirl27-queen-Axe! 

 

This system takes 3 random words then adds in the required numbers, capital letters, and symbols to create a safe password that will take an AI significantly more than 90 days to hack which will be when you need to change it next. An important part of this system is that the words must be random!  This means that you can’t use Children-John12-Susie!  Where John and Susie are the names of your kids or pets.   

 

So, how do you choose RANDOM Words and create one of these amazing passwords you ask???  It’s Easy!!! 

 

1. Choose 3 words using the categories listed below. (You may only use 1 word from any category) 

2. Add 2 Numbers to the shortest Word 

3. Add a Symbol to the next shortest word 

4. Shuffle the words and add a hyphen (-) in between each word instead of a space 

5. Et voila!  That’s your new Password! 

 

Categories:

A color	A Non-Sport Entertainment	A favorite food
A car Type or Make	A Zoo Animal (Not Cats or Dogs)	A favorite Place
Household Appliance	A type of pet	A country
A Career/Job	A type of Building	A Town or State
Something in your Kitchen	An Action word	A School/Office Supply
Something in your Bedroom	A Type of Person	A type of Technology
Something in your Fridge	A type of Tool	A type of Equipment
Type of Sport	A type of Plant	An Activity

 

Your new password should look something like this: 

 

snake@-blender-Cry42 

 

You will note that although it is using dictionary words, the password length, 20 characters in the above example, and complexity make it significantly more difficult for a computer to hack.

 

Please feel free to download a copy of this guide (See link below) and keep it at your desk for reference.