May 11
Password overload! Password overload!
Cats: slack woman|Just how many passwords can one brain handle? Is it possible to keep stuffing in more passwords, usernames and log-in words? Or is the human brain like a suitcase, a vessel with finite space that will burst at the seams if you try to pack too much in. If someone sat on your head, would it free up more space for another few passwords? Perhaps, but then what? Where would you put the next password to come along? And the next one? And the next one? For more on this 21st-century memory problem, go here
May 11th, 2007 at 3:53 am
Here’s how I make my passwords: I pick a sentence that means something to me, and use the first letter of each word to form a password. For example, an old sentence of mine was “War and Peace is very boring”, and so the password is wapivb. Seemingly random, but not!
May 11th, 2007 at 4:16 am
In the latest issue of PC magazine they compiled the top 10 list of most commonly used password, so if yours is here I would change it!
1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name) so mine would be “Rowan from Cheddar”
But I have foxed them all my favourite password is “password123456qwertyabc123letmeinmonkeymyspace1password1blink182Rowan.
May 11th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Worse than passwords for me is the security measure they include by asking you a personal question. Then I have to remember, am I using hubby’s card or my own? Apparently this is a no-no you must NEVER let anyone else use your card. Oh really? So, I screwed up “mother’s maiden name” twice and got kicked off. Leave it to me to have a mom with a two-part name and I forgot one little capital letter. Needless to say, bills were not paid, money was not transferred and the people at the bank were not impressed that we swap cards from time to time.
Sheesh, picky, picky…..
May 11th, 2007 at 6:57 am
I believe that our brains are like closets. If we don’t keep them clean we can never find anything. I free up space by not remembering peoples names, and not remembering birthdates and the like. I have one obscure username, password, and log-in that I can remember that fits most security criteria.
The only problem is that if I do get hacked, the hacker will have complete access to my e-world.
If I need to remember something for which my brain is not preprogrammed (i.e. there isn’t already a spot in the closet), I write it down. Quite simple since we got past using soft clay or papyrus.
So free your brain of trivial information, or information that you have easy access to (i.e. “What’s your name again?”) and you will free yourself of the password burden (i.e. make room in the closet).
May 11th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Well known security experts recommend you write down your password, its just taking a long time to convince the policy makers its a good thing.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/06/write_down_your.html
May 11th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Rowan, those are all my passwords!
May 11th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
You’re such a mechanical engineer Deepti.
May 11th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Thanks! I was in denial for a while, but now I have come to accept my fate.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
My brain misfired the other day while trying to log on to my computer at work which requires 3 separate passwords. I’m usually very good at the keeping all that sort of thing straight. Somehow, I got my user status revoked by systematically punching in the wrong passwords several times on each system. Next time I’m going with imanidiotandiatepasswords 1, 2 and 3.