I would like to thank for contributions for this tip: Or if you got an other security tip, please let us know via the contact form. With that: No more tips on strong passwords! I want tips on how to avoid using passwords -). (a Google search will reveal others if you don't like this particular version).įellow handler Don Smith also noted that in the Denver area a number of car break ins have been linked back to identity theft. But if a burglar breaks into your house, a lost online banking password is probably not a huge deal compared to the other damage and easily changed.įor your awareness program: A couple universities came out with nice 'Passwords are like Underwear' posters. Maybe obfuscate them a bit by writing them down backwards. But at home: Write your passwords down and keep the sheet close to the PC. Too many people usually have easy access to your desk. You probably don't want to use Post-It notes at work. If they do, then its usually 'game over' anyway as they will not get the info they need via keyloggers and means like that. I am not too concerned about how well they protect your password once a person broke into your system (either physically or remotely). How to store passwords: There are a number of 'password safe' applications that are usually pretty good. But its different if you allow the site to keep your credit card number. If so, you could chose one of your commodity passwords.

You may not care if anybody knows your order history for an online store. Lastly: Be careful what you allow the web site to store. A second password for things like online forums you contribute to (a bit more tricky as if someone gets that password, they could damage your reputation by posting in your name). Use a throw away password for all the random web sites you have to register (e.g. Not everybody agrees with it, but I do recommend to use a set of passwords for different uses. In these cases, you can use just the first letter of each word in your passphrase. In some cases the size of your password may be limited by the system. You may still play the usual tricks and substitute certain letters with 'leet speak'. But 'My favorite pet's name is Fluffy' is much harder to guess then just 'Fluffy'.

Obviously, passphrases are much harder to brute force. For example: 'This is a good password' vs. Instead of a word, a pass-phrase is a sentence. Probably the easiest way to pick a better password is to move to pass-phrases. So lets get that out of the way with our tip #1: Guess since I mentioned strong passwords, I got a lot of tips about how to pick them. This is the first in our 'Security tip of the day' series.

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