Unlike traditional passwords, which are often short and prone to being easily guessed or cracked, passphrases offer a higher level of security due to their length and complexity. A typical password might consist of 8 to 12 characters, whereas a passphrase can be 20 characters or more. This significantly increases the time and effort required for a brute force attack to be successful.
Brute force attacks involve hackers systematically trying every possible combination of characters until they find the correct one. The longer and more complex the passphrase, the longer it takes to crack. For example, a password with 8 characters can be cracked in a matter of minutes, whereas a passphrase with 20 characters could take billions of years to crack with current computational power.
Furthermore, a passphrase is often a sequence of words, making it easier to remember while maintaining complexity. However, it is crucial to change your passphrase immediately if you suspect that someone might have seen it or if it gets lost. Not only should you create a new passphrase, but you should also find a new, secure location to store it.