How secure is your password?

July 20th 2026

The time it takes for a hacker to crack your passwords gets shorter every year. According to Hive Systems, that’s “not because your password changed, but because the [hackers’] computers doing the work keep getting fasters, cheaper to rent, and easier to configure.”

Hive Systems have produces a handy colour-coded chart shows how quickly hackers may be able to crack weaker passwords, with recognition that the exact time depends on the technology being used. The main message of the table is simple: use a strong password, make it different for every account and avoid anything easy to guess.

Digital Care Hub’s Cyber Technical Lead, Sam, responded to the data: “Hackers love weak passwords, especially when multi-factor authentication (MFA) isn’t switched on. As a useful guide, Cyber Essentials uses a minimum of eight characters when MFA is in place, or 12 characters when it is not. Adding a number or symbol doesn’t always make a short password safe – these are minimums, not targets. The National Cyber Security Centre also recommends using three random words to create a password that is longer but easier to remember”.

In recent appearances at events and conferences, Sam has demonstrated how quick and efficient password-cracking software can be. He added: “A password manager can make password care easier. It creates and remembers a different, strong password for each account, so you can use passwords with 15 or more characters without needing to remember them all”.

Password managers can also help protect you from fake websites as it should only fill in your password on the correct website. If your password manager refuses to automatically respond, stop and check the web address before continuing.

Good password practice helps protect your account and the data of the people you support. Using MFA adds another important layer of protection.

Check your password against the Hive Systems’ 2026 chart, now. And if you’re eager to find out more, read their original article.

For those who also manage the DSPT process: these steps also support DSPT evidence item 4.5.4.