Forum Topic

Online security, passwords, scams, ...

If you've ever used the same password for more than one online service you might want to rethink that ...https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security/stolen-emails-and-passwords-surface-online/?utm_content=84050468&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-25403

Michael Ixer ● 2836d13 Comments

I would if I could remember them all!

Lucille Grant ● 2836d

This is such a problem! There's a real conflict between having passwords that are, at one end of the spectrum, memorable, and at the other end, secure. There is software that you can put on your phone/tablet.computer to store passwords so that you can have a different one for each application, but what if this is hacked? It would be an obvious target, you'd think, for any would be scammer. I don't have a solution, except to keep a written record of your passwords - but heaven help you if you lose it or the dog decides it would make a good breakfast...

Richard Carter ● 2836d

"I don't have a solution, except to keep a written record of your passwords - but heaven help you if you lose it or the dog decides it would make a good breakfast..."How about writing your passwords down along with the name of the account for which they are used, but converting them (account name and password) into the number equivalents if the characters are letters, and into the letter equivalents if they are numbers. For extra security you might reverse their order, or somesuch. I don't know what you can do with non-alphanumeric characters or capitals.I haven't really done this myself, except once and then I lost the note anyway. Good idea to save a copy with a significant, and trustworthy, other. Along with an explanation (coded perhaps).

David Ainsworth ● 2836d

The usual recommendation is to use a password safe.

Michael Ixer ● 2836d

I use a 6 letter easily remembered word, with capital, then add date eg 010219 when you created said password.  only used for 1 site. a separate notebook can be kept for site with only last 6 numbers. you should be only person who knows the first numbers. should you lose can easily be reset. It works.

Barbara Shillabeer ● 2836d

A friend of mine writes all her passwords on sheets of paper and puts them between pages of long books e.g.Dickens on the basis that burglars never steal books. Remember the riots some years ago when the shops on either side were trashed but Waterstones stood secure.

Jane Carter ● 2836d

Yes I've seen similar systems recommended to that although I would suggest using something different where additional security is needed for, say, online banking.

Michael Ixer ● 2836d

Can I ask what you would suggest?

Jane Carter ● 2836d

Very apt story in today’s Times “£145m cryptocurrency password goes to grave”. “The owner of Canada’s largest crypto currency exchange has unexpectedly died at the age of 30, taking with him the only password for a digital account holding £145 million of customers’ money”.

Martine Guy ● 2836d

Addresses are useful passwords and easy to remember. Old ones of your own or long standing friends. All contain numbers, caps and lower case.

Katrina Black ● 2836d

I'm going to cheat and show the Get Safe Online password guidance https://www.getsafeonline.org/protecting-yourself/passwords/I'd suggest you look at what services use and if you use a base word or code like Barbara you don't use this for Bank/financial accounts, or your email account that is used for resetting other accounts. For those key accounts, select a different password for each account.

Michael Ixer ● 2836d

Yes, a timely reminder that information security isn't just about confidentiality; integrity and availability complete the CIA triad:https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Confidentiality-integrity-and-availability-CIA

Michael Ixer ● 2836d

I'd only add to this to be careful about filling in jokey things on Facebook, giving your first pet's name, etc. Apparently these are phished to get hold of memorable words to hack into bank accounts.

Bunny Payne ● 2835d