'Passphrases' may be better option for digital security

Move over passwords! Long passphrases are emerging as a better alternative for digital security than complex codes made of letters, numbers and special keystrokes that are hard to remember, researchers say.
People tend to dislike complex computer passwords that are difficult to remember, as they are often a nonsensical jumble of letters, numbers and symbols said to be essential for digital security.
A new standard is emerging for passwords, backed by a growing number of businesses and government agencies - to the relief of computer users everywhere.
No longer must passwords be changed so often, or include an incomprehensible string of special characters.

The new direction champions less complexity in favour of length.
Requiring longer passwords, known as passphrases, usually 16 to 64 characters long, is increasingly seen as an escape route from complex codes, 'The Washington Post' reported.

A series of studies from Carnegie Mellon University in the US confirmed that passphrases are just as good at online security because hacking programmes are thrown off by length nearly as easily as randomness.
To a computer, poetry or simple sentences can be just as hard to crack. People are less likely to forget them, researchers said.
"For equivalent amounts of security, longer tends to be more useful for people," said Michelle Mazurek, one of the Carnegie Mellon researchers, now at the University of Maryland College Park.

The demand for simpler passwords has grown along with the share of time spent online, where hard-to-recall codes restrict access not only to work and school email, but also shopping, playing games and managing health claims.