Good passwords made easy
Linked by Howard Fosdick on Sat 10th Nov 2012 07:28 UTC
Bugs & Viruses If you want to ensure you have adequate passwords but don't have the time or interest to study the topic, there's a useful basic article on how to devise strong passwords over at the NY Times. It summarizes key points in 9 simple rules of thumb. Also see the follow-up article for useful reader feedback. Stay safe!
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RE: Comment by Anonymous Penguin
by Morgan on Sat 10th Nov 2012 09:51 UTC in reply to "Comment by Anonymous Penguin"
Morgan
Member since:
2005-06-29

I realize this won't work for everyone, but I have a knack for remembering long strings of random characters. My vehicle's VIN alternated with a Windows 98 key that I still have the CoA for up in the attic, along with my uncle's Romanian name, make for a nearly uncrackable but easy to remember password.

To be able to use it for different accounts, I just add a mnemonic related to that site. For local security, of course, I just use a simple 8 to 10 character alphanumeric string. That's more than enough to deter the few friends and family that visit my home.

Reply Parent Score: 2

Anonymous Penguin Member since:
2005-07-06

Indeed, it wouldn't work for me. I am very bad at remembering long strings of random characters, including telephone numbers.

Reply Parent Score: 2

UltraZelda64 Member since:
2006-12-05

Me too. That's one hell of a skill he's got. I have to maintain a few text files to keep track track of my passwords; partially because I've got so many, but also because they're all pretty long and complex, and many of my important ones are similar but subtly different so they couldn't be used across accounts even if they were cracked.

Then again, I never made an attempt to remember my passwords and I tend to just use the web browser's password manager most of the time. The main exception here is on my phone; I would never store any passwords on a computer I take everywhere I go that I could easily lose, forget somewhere I go or have stolen.

That said... I am considering eventually attempting to remember my three Google account passwords, because it's kind of a pain when I am automatically logged out for my protection and I'm basically locked out until I get home to check my password files. ;)

By the way... any Google users, if you have important data on your account, it would be a good idea to use Google's two-step authentication. Works with any phone, though probably best with a cell phone (text message) or, even better, with the Google Authenticator app.

Edited 2012-11-11 04:56 UTC

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