Don't make your password 'password'
So, you think you've got the secret password thing all figured out by always making your password "password"? Clever, right? Wrong. Forget it! That's way too easy. No wonder identity theft is off the charts. I sympathize, however, because it's tough remembering all those passwords. And if you keep a directory somewhere, well that makes you vulnerable. I create passwords and promptly forget them! Good, huh? Anybody got a good system for creating passwords that you can tell us about without compromising your own security? Share!
Here's one of my systems... It's not very original but it seems to work. I create a password like, for example, thebee1, and then every couple of weeks or so I change it to thebee2, thebee3, thebee4 and so on through all the numbers. For some reason, I can remember the number I'm on. Not sure why but it seems to stick.
Here are the 10 most common passwords:
1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)
Comments
Good advice to change your password into something a little less common, but best if it's really long and original. Here's an article on how to make a strong password:
http://passpack.wordpress.com/2006/12/29/passpack-strong-passwords-times-three/
The problem is that strong passwords are VERY hard to remember and you should never reuse the same ones (that leads straight to identity theft). The solution is to use a password manager. All that is, is a sort of secure organizer that lets you store all those impossible to remember (but strong) passwords. Another article here from our blog that gives some more information:
http://passpack.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/why-you-must-use-a-password-manager/
PassPack is a free password manager. You can try it here:
https://www.passpack.com
Posted by: Tara (PassPack) | April 28, 2007 10:44 AM