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Because SPAM pirates and other illicit hackers are using sophisticated means now of cracking passwords, There are a lot of passwords you can't use anymore. All plain English words found in the dictionary are now unsafe. Also unsafe are easily remembered combinations, like "12345", "abcde", or "11111", "password" or even "drowssap" (spelled backwards). Keyboard combinations, like "qwerty" or "asdf" will all be tried by the password hackers. Common names of people and places are in danger, such as "Chicago" or "George". Additionally, expect hackers to try all the above backwords.

Nothing could be simpler, neither should it be taken lightly. Internet security is a steadily growing issue. Password guessing software now exists that could enable a SPAM pirate to exploit your mail account. Yet, there remain ways for you to protect yourself.

Changing Your Password

Changing your password is quite simple. Just go to your web mail interface and click on the "Change your POP3 password" link. Or you can go directly to http://web.hosting-advantage.com/pw_change.php and fill in the fields. Of course, this won't work if you don't remember your existing password to begin with. If you have lost your password, Tom Ogden cannot retrieve it for you. But we can reset it to a new password of your choosing.

So how can you make a password safe? The key is randomness. Go ahead and think of some possible passwords you might otherwise use. Then try these hints for obscuring them from the pirates.

• First, a greater number of characters increases your safety. 8 characters is a good size password. Most accounts will allow 10, some more.

• Second, introduce into your password an odd combination of upper- and lower-case letters, like "aPplE".

• Third, consider inserting a digit into your password, as in "ban9na".

• Fourth, combine words together that might not be expected in combination, such as "dogpink".

• Fifth, foreign words are just one step more difficult for hackers, but it's a good resource for inspiration, if you know any that are not commonly used in English conversation. Examples might be "caballo" or "spielen".

• Lastly, in case of security breeches in the system, it's wise to change your passwords periodically. You might change them quarterly annually or bi-annually, depending on your activity.

Steps like this can increase the randomness of an 8-character word from one in thousands to one in trillions. At that, hackers will just as soon leave off and try someone easer.