Requiring eight-character passwords and adding mixed case, numbers, and special characters, makes it nearly impossible to crack through a brute force effort with the technology available today. The figures below show estimated times to crack password combinations, assuming 100,000 encryption operations per second (source: geodsoft.com).
| Password | Time to Crack | Description |
|---|---|---|
| gcbwts | 25 minutes | Six lower case letters. |
| gcbwtsbn | 12 days | Eight lower case letters. |
| gc12bwt1 | 5 months | Eight lower case letters with numbers. |
| Gc12Bwtl | 8.5 years | Eight mixed case letters with numbers. |
| Gc!12Bw% | > 72 years | Eight mixed case letters, numbers, special characters. |
As technology becomes faster, the time to crack passwords will shrink. The standard of eight characters using mixed case, numbers and special characters will provide the state with a needed additional level of protection.