Protecting your password: Create an unbreakable one

Protecting your password: Create an unbreakable one

- Brute-force attacks to obtain passwords have moved from CPUs to GPUs, improving their effectiveness by checking more than a million keys per second.

- Passwords now need new requirements to be truly secure: a minimum number of 12 characters, the use of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

DUBAI, UAE – Every year, on the first Thursday in May, World Password Day is commemorated, a perfect setting in which Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading global specialist cybersecurity provider, takes the opportunity to send a reminder about the importance of dedicating special care to passwords, as they are one of the main barriers against cyber criminals.

Passwords are used by billions of users around the world, but despite their enormous importance, there is still a high number of bad practices when it comes to managing and creating them. In 2019, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre revealed that 23 million people worldwide continue to use insecure passwords such as "123456", evidencing that many users are still unaware of the potential dangers.

But this is not the only problem we face. Relentless technological advances are not only benefiting users, but also providing cybercriminals with new tools to carry