Which characteristics contribute to a password being considered strong?

A strong password is one that is difficult for others to guess and provides a robust defense against unauthorized access. The characteristics of a strong password include a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. This diversity greatly increases the complexity of the password, making it far less susceptible to common password-cracking techniques like brute force attacks that attempt various combinations.

When a password includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, it creates a higher degree of unpredictability. For example, a password like "G1x$Bs8@eR" is much harder to guess than a simple single-case word or a string of numbers. The use of special characters and numbers not only lengthens the potential combinations but also introduces a variety of character types, which significantly enhances security.

In contrast, the other choices present characteristics that weaken password strength. Simple words and combinations of characters that lack complexity don't provide the necessary protection against unauthorized access. For instance, using easy words or only numbers and lowercase letters limits the variations that could otherwise create a more secure password. Thus, options that exclude variety in character types fall short of the criteria for what constitutes a strong password.