Password Strength Checker

How Password Cracking Works

Attackers use several methods to crack passwords. Understanding them helps you build better defenses:

Brute Force Attacks

Trying every possible combination. A modern GPU cluster can try 10+ billion passwords per second. An 8-character password using only lowercase letters has 208 billion combinations — cracked in about 20 seconds. Add uppercase, numbers, and symbols, and it jumps to 6 quadrillion combinations.

Dictionary Attacks

Using lists of common passwords, words, and known breached passwords. If your password is "sunshine123" or "P@ssw0rd", it will be cracked in milliseconds regardless of its theoretical strength, because it's in every attacker's dictionary.

Credential Stuffing

Using passwords leaked from other breaches. If you reuse passwords and one site gets hacked, attackers will automatically try that password on every other popular service. This is why unique passwords for every site matter.

Password Best Practices (2026)

• Use 16+ characters — Length beats complexity every time
• Use a password manager — Bitwarden (free) or 1Password
• Enable MFA everywhere — Even a compromised password can't be used without your second factor
• Never reuse passwords — One breach shouldn't compromise all your accounts
• Use passphrases — "correct-horse-battery-staple" is stronger and easier to remember than "P@55w0rd!"
• Check for breaches — Use haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email appears in known breaches

For Business Owners

Weak passwords are the #1 entry point for cyberattacks on small businesses. If your team is using "CompanyName2024!" as their password, you're one breach away from a very bad day.

At a minimum, enforce:

• 12+ character minimum for all accounts
• Multi-factor authentication on email, VPN, and cloud services
• A company password manager
• Quarterly security awareness training

Need help setting this up? Talk to us — we help Triangle businesses implement these controls every week.