AI might crack your password within a minute. This is how you can secure your account

Image credit : Wikipedia A team of internet security professionals called Home Security Heroes has discovered that artificial intelligence, or AI, is capable of decrypting more than 50% of commonly used passwords in under a minute. The study focuses on PassGAN, an AI password breaker. A database of 15,680,000 passwords was evaluated. According to the study, AI could crack over 51% of passwords in under a minute. Also, the AI can decrypt over 65% of passwords in about an hour and 81% in under 30 days. Nevertheless, easy-to-predict and general passwords are the only ones that artificial intelligence can quickly crack. Little passwords with short character lengths are simple for AI to decipher. For example, using your name or birthdate as a password renders it generic and simple to decipher. [caption id="attachment_150391" align="aligncenter" width="580"] 3D illustration of humanoid head and shoulders with data streams, Artificial intelligence concept. (Image credit : Nature)[/caption] It takes more time for AI to predict passwords with several characters. According to the study, passwords that are 18 characters or longer are resistant to AI password crackers. Passwords of 18 characters can take up to ten months for AI to decipher. In addition, the AI has trouble cracking passwords that contain a mix of symbols, digits, and upper- and lower-case letters. As AI would need six quintillion years to decipher them, such passwords are secure.

How to protect yourself against password-cracking AIs

The following procedures can be taken to protect one's credentials from an AI hack.

• Choose strong passwords that are unpredictable or generic, especially if they solely contain numbers.
• A minimum of 15 characters must be used in passwords, with a combination of symbols, numbers, and alphabets.
• To keep track of your passwords for numerous accounts, use a password manager.
• In the password, use a minimum of two characters (including upper- and lowercase), numbers, and symbols.
• As a routine, continue to alter your passwords every three to six months. Do not use the same password across all of your accounts.

On the Home Security Heroes website, you can also find out if your password is resistant to AI. You can use the software to examine how long it will take an AI-based program to figure out your password. Also read : Google Password Manager now enables users to add notes to their new & old passwords The term Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) is used in PassGAN. It does away with the need for laborious password analysis and automatically figures out how real passwords are distributed. Because it produces different password attributes and improves the calibre of generic passwords, PassGAN poses a risk to cybersecurity. PassGAN makes it simple for cybercriminals to acquire your passwords and obtain your personal data. So, it's crucial to update your passwords on a frequent basis.