In a competitive field, passwords are one of the worst things about the Internet. Long and complex passwords are more secure but difficult to remember, leaving many people using weak and easy-to-guess credentials. One study by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) revealed how millions are using their pet’s name, football team names, “password” and “123456” to access online services.
But this leaves you wide open to attack: cybercriminals can crack weak passwords in seconds using automated tools. “A hacker needs roughly two seconds to crack an 11-character password made up of numbers,” says Alex Balan, director of security research at security company Bitdefender. If the password is more complex, containing numbers, symbols and uppercase and lowercase letters, the time needed to break it jumps to 400 years.
Experts say a good password should be unique and contain a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. The key to a strong one is length, says independent security researcher Sean Wright. “While password complexity does help, the length matters far more.” Experts recommend a minimum of 11 characters, more if possible.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
The typical internet user has about 100 sets of login details — memorizing this number of complex passwords is well beyond most people’s powers of recall.
Password manager apps can resolve this problem by creating long and complex credentials for you, and remembering them the next time you log in. Yet only about one in five people in the UK use one, according to recent estimates.
Many people are put off by the hassle, while others are suspicious about allowing one company to store all of their passwords. How do you know which one is trustworthy, and what if the company is hacked?
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
It might seem daunting at first, but a password manager, such as 1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden or Dashlane, will make your life a lot easier.
If this all seems too technical, or you are managing passwords for an elderly parent or grandparent, there is another option. While they’re sometimes mocked, physical password books aren’t a bad idea, as long as you follow the guidelines in creating strong, unique logins, and the book is kept somewhere secure and doesn’t leave the house.
(The Guardian)
在網路的諸多惡名中，密碼是最令人頭痛的事之一。長而複雜的密碼較安全，不過很難記住，因此許多人使用弱且容易猜出來的認證。英國國家網路安全中心的一項研究揭示，數百萬人使用其寵物名字、足球隊名、「password」（密碼）一詞以及「123456」來存取線上服務。
但這讓您很容易受到攻擊：網路犯罪分子可使用自動化工具在幾秒鐘內破解弱密碼。資安公司比特防毒的資安研究主管亞歷士‧巴蘭說：「駭客需要約兩秒鐘來破解由數字組成的十一個字符的密碼」。若密碼較為複雜，包含數字、符號及大小寫字母，破解它所需的時間便會驟增為四百年。
專家表示，好的密碼應該是獨一無二的，是包含字母、數字及特殊字符的組合。資安研究員尚‧萊特表示，強密碼的關鍵在於長度。「雖然密碼的複雜性確實有幫助，但長度更重要」。專家建議至少要十一個字符，若可能的話要更長。
典型的網路用戶有大約一百組登入資料──記住這麼多複雜的密碼遠遠超出大多數人的記憶能力。
密碼管理器應用程式可解決此問題，透過為您創建長而複雜的認證，並記住它讓您下次可以登入。但根據最近的估計，這類應用程式在英國只有大約五分之一的人使用。
許多人是因為怕麻煩而不用，也有些人對於讓一家公司儲存他們所有的密碼感到疑慮。你怎麼知道哪家公司可以信賴？如果那公司被駭了怎麼辦？
密碼管理器，例如1Password、LastPass、Bitwarden或Dashlane，剛開始可能會讓人望之卻步，但它會讓你的生活變得輕鬆許多。
如果這些看起來都太技術化，或是您正為年邁的父母或祖父母管理密碼，那麼還有另一種選擇。實體密碼簿雖然有時會被嘲笑，但這點子不賴，只要您遵循指引創建強而獨有的登入資訊，且將該密碼簿保存在安全處、不帶出家門。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
Earthquakes are among the most terrifying natural disasters, generating massive tremors and destructive forces as Earth’s crust shudders. These tremors not only lead to the collapse of buildings but can also trigger secondary disasters, such as tsunamis and fires. However, we can mitigate the impact on lives and property by mastering earthquake response techniques. The DCH three-step strategy, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is crucial during an earthquake. “D” stands for “drop.” You should immediately drop to the ground, using your hands and knees to support yourself. This position prevents you from falling and
A: The newest twist in “Friends” star Matthew Perry’s sudden death is shocking. B: Didn’t he die from a ketamine overdose last year? A: But the police say his death could be a conspiracy. B: Wow, what happened? A: Five suspects have been charged for intentionally supplying him with large amounts of ketamine for personal gain. A: 《六人行》男星馬修派瑞之死大逆轉真令人震驚！ B: 他去年不是因吸毒過量致死嗎？ A: 但警方說他的死可能是個陰謀。 B: 發生了什麼事？ A: 警方已起訴5名嫌犯，他們故意提供大量「K他命」給他，以謀取暴利。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是，提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊？ A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理！ B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊，其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
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