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Your reason for cracking a Wi-Fi password are no doubt noble (we trust you); here's how. By  Eric Griffith Updated March 10, 2020 Chances are you have a Wi-Fi network at home, or live close to one (or more) that tantalizingly pops up in a list whenever you boot up the laptop or look at the phone. The problem is, if there's a lock next to the network name (AKA the SSID, or  service set identifier ), that indicates security is activated. Without a password or passphrase, you're not going to get access to that network, or the sweet, sweet internet that goes with it. Perhaps you forgot the password on your own network, or don't have neighbors willing to share the Wi-Fi goodness. You could just go to a café, buy a latte, and  use the "free" Wi-Fi there . Download an app for your phone like  WiFi-Map  (available for iOS and Android), and you'll have a list of millions of hotspots with free Wi-Fi for t...

By Chris Foxx Technology reporter Image copyright Thinkstock Hackers have managed to decode more than  11 million encrypted passwords stolen from the Ashley Madison website, shining fresh light on the importance of password security. On Tuesday, the UK government agency GCHQ published new password guidance designed to "improve security, while improving the usability of systems". Its report challenged some common ideas about passwords and security. So how do you choose, and just as importantly remember, the perfect password? A complex issue? Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Complex passwords lead people to write them down Many websites demand complex passwords with a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. The GCHQ report suggested complex passwords may actually be counterproductive, because people often write them down or reuse the same one on many websites. "Talking about a good password suggests that choosing a long o...