Which of the following describes a good password?

Study for the Annual Security and Counterintelligence Awareness Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question is paired with hints and explanations to enhance learning. Prepare effectively for your exam!

A good password is characterized by being long, complex, unique, and hard to guess. This combination is essential for enhancing the security of accounts and sensitive information, as it makes it significantly more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access through methods such as brute force attacks or guessing.

A long password increases the number of possible combinations, making it exponentially harder to crack. Complexity involves including a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, which adds further layers of difficulty for anyone trying to guess the password. Uniqueness ensures that the password isn't easily associated with the individual—such as birthdates, names, or easily accessible personal information—and doesn’t match any passwords used for different accounts.

When passwords are simple, short, or composed only of numbers, they become considerably less secure. Short and simple passwords are often easy for cybercriminals to guess or hack, and numeric-only passwords lack the necessary complexity to provide adequate security. Therefore, the attributes of long, complex, unique, and hard to guess are critical for creating effective passwords that protect against unauthorized access.

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