← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

Passphrases to avoid

A passphrase others can find out or guess, such as your name, birthday, pet, school, a song lyric, a saying or qwerty. Never use one for an account.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Staying Safe Online — Module 10

Understanding Passphrases to avoid in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

What it does: Everyone knows this lyric, so it is easy to guess. A passphrase should never be a famous line. Your name and school are personal details that others can find out, so they make a weak passphrase. qwerty is a keyboard pattern. It is one of the first things a guesser tries. Song lyrics and sayings are known by lots of people. A long passphrase is only strong if others can't guess it. Keys in a row on the keyboard, like asdfgh or 123456, are easy to guess. Do not use them. A well known saying or nursery rhyme is easy to guess. Random words you choose yourself are safer.

Common mistakes: The phrase contains the name Ava, so it is guessable. The message should warn the student, for example print("Guessable!"), not say it is safe. The input( bracket is never closed. It needs a closing bracket: phrase = input("Phrase: ").

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

🖨 Print worksheet + answer key Add Passphrases to avoid to a class →

This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 137–153) and word search (Modules 137–225).

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Learning
Duo
Which passphrase is safer to use?
purple-teapot-jumps-quietlyava-nguyen-2014
Matches
My passphrase is my birthday: 12March2014
↓
A birthday is a personal detail that others can find out or guess, so it should not be in a passphrase.
Applying
Meanings
Term
guessable passphrase
Meaning
A passphrase others can find out or guess, such as your name, birthday, pet, school, a song lyric, a saying or qwerty. Never use one for an account.
Practice
AVOID: Ava2014 (name and birthday)
Testing
Gaps
IF passphrase = THEN
Check Answer
Spots
3if name in phrase:
4 print("Safe!")

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Quick Questions

1. Which passphrase is safer to use?
A. purple-teapot-jumps-quietly ✓
B. ava-nguyen-2014
Your name and birth year are personal details that people can find out or guess. Random words are much harder to guess.
2. Is your pet's name a good thing to put in your passphrase?
A. Yes, only I know my pet's name
B. No, people who know you might guess it ✓
Friends, classmates and even your online posts might show your pet's name. Never use it in a passphrase.
3. Which passphrase should you avoid?
A. qwertyuiop ✓
B. mango-rocket-pillow-sings
qwerty is a keyboard pattern. It is one of the first things a guesser tries.
4. Is the first line of a famous song a good passphrase?
A. Yes, it is long so it is always safe
B. No, famous lyrics are easy to guess ✓
Song lyrics and sayings are known by lots of people. A long passphrase is only strong if others can't guess it.
5. Which one is a guessable passphrase?
A. MyBirthday12March ✓
B. frog-lamp-ocean-biscuit
Your birthday is a personal detail that others can find out. Pick random words instead.

Match the Pairs

MaxTheDog2014 → A guessable passphrase because it uses a pet's name and a birth year that others could find out
qwertyuiop → A keyboard pattern passphrase that is very easy to guess because it follows the keys in a row
A famous song lyric or saying is too well known to be a safe passphrase → twinkle twinkle little star
Your school name and your own name are details others can find out, so do not use them → EmmaSunnyvalePrimary
My passphrase is my birthday: 12March2014 → A birthday is a personal detail that others can find out or guess, so it should not be in a passphrase.
Passphrase: 1234qwerty → This uses a keyboard pattern and a simple number run, which are some of the first things guessers try.

Key Term

guessable passphrase
A passphrase others can find out or guess, such as your name, birthday, pet, school, a song lyric, a saying or qwerty. Never use one for an account.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF passphrase = qwerty THEN REJECT passphrase
Hint: Type the keyboard pattern made from the first six letters on the top row of a keyboard.
2. IF passphrase CONTAINS birthday THEN REJECT passphrase
Hint: Type the personal detail, a date you celebrate every year, that others can easily find out.
3. IF passphrase CONTAINS pet_name THEN REJECT passphrase
Hint: Type the keyword that checks whether one thing is found inside another.
4. IF passphrase = song_lyric THEN REJECT passphrase
Hint: Type the name of the variable that holds the secret words being checked against a famous line.
5. IF passphrase IS guessable THEN REJECT passphrase
Hint: Type the word that describes a passphrase other people can work out or find out.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A name = "Ava"
B phrase = "Ava likes pizza"
C if name in phrase:
D print("Safe!")
E else:
F print("Not guessable")
Line D — The phrase contains the name Ava, so it is guessable. The message should warn the student, for example print("Guessable!"), not say it is safe.
Question 2
A bad = ["qwerty", "123456"]
B phrase = input("Phrase: "
C if phrase in bad:
D print("Too guessable")
Line B — The input( bracket is never closed. It needs a closing bracket: phrase = input("Phrase: ").
Question 3
A birthday = 12 May 2014
B phrase = "teal moose kite jam"
C if birthday in phrase:
D print("Change it")
Line A — Text must be inside quotes. It should be birthday = "12 May 2014". Birthdays are also a detail to avoid in a passphrase.
Question 4
A lyric = "twinkle twinkle star"
B phrase = "twinkle twinkle star"
C if phrase = lyric:
D print("Song lyric: avoid")
Line C — A single = stores a value. To compare two values, use ==: if phrase == lyric. Song lyrics are easy to guess, so avoid them.
Question 5
A pattern = "qwerty"
B phrase = "qwerty123"
C if pattern in phrase
D print("Keyboard pattern")
Line C — An if line must end with a colon. It should be if pattern in phrase: so the keyboard pattern check works.

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