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From the password crackers article at PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,2566,00.asp

Although password-cracking software is a formidable and intimidating weapon in the wrong hands, there are several common-sense steps you can take to minimize your risk and perhaps even thwart crack attempts.

When creating a password, don' t use any part of your user name, full name, address, birthdate, and so on. This information is readily available to intruders.

Don' t use English or even foreign words; dictionary attacks try millions of word combinations per second.

Make sure your password is at least six to eight characters long. Our experience with Passware products shows that the longer the password the better.

Use different kinds of characters in your password. At the very least, your password should contain uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and numbers. If you' re comfortable with non-alphanumeric symbols (such as #@!&) or extended ASCII characters (which you can access by holding down Alt and typing on the number pad), use them in your password. Passware software does not look for special characters unless the cracker specifies each one to look for.

Use a password that is easy to remember and easy to type, but don' t write it on a sticky note and post it on your monitor.

Change your password every month to six weeks.

Don' t recycle old passwords or use the same one for several different applications.

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If you check the downloads at www.cnet.com or www.zdnet.com for password or password manager