Ok, a quick guide to passwords. Use Passpack. It’s free (up to 100) and easy.
The average person will not be able to remember the 10’s and sometimes 100’s of passwords needed to manage your daily life. One option is to make them easy to remember (also easy to guess). Another option is to use the same password over and over (putting all your eggs in one basket). The best option is to use a password management program or website to remember your passwords.
I use Passpack for password management because they use a highly encrypted website that not only requires a master password but requires a master passphrase. Your master passphrase is encrypted so that even the folks at Passpack can not recover it for you.
We never have your un-encrypted data. Even if our servers were hacked your passwords would be safe.
Strong passwords combined with having many passwords can cause headaches. Our manager helps eliminate that by letting you tag, sort, search and manage multiple logins per site. Passpack is available to you from any browser, anywhere, anytime, no need to carry yet another device or install on multiple computers.
Good Password Guidelines
Things to include
1. At least eight characters.
2. One or more of each of the following:
◦lower-case letter
◦upper-case letter
◦number
◦punctuation mark
3. Lookalike characters to protect against password glimpses. Examples: ◦O as in Oscar and the number 0.
◦Lower-case l and upper-case I.
◦The letter S and the $ sign.
Things to avoid
1. Words you can find in the dictionary.
2. Passwords shown as “example strong passwords.”
3. Personal information, such as names and birth dates.
4. Keyboard patterns, like qwerty or 12345. Particularly avoid sequences of numbers in order.
5. Common acronyms.
6. All one type of character – such as all numbers, all upper-case letters, all lower-case letters, etc.
7. Repeating characters, such as mmmm3333.
8. The same password you use for another application.
Memorable password tips
While passwords that are easy for you to remember are also less secure than a completely random password, following these tips can help you find the right balance between convenience for you and difficulty for hackers.
1. Create a unique acronym for a sentence or phrase you like.
2. Include phonetic replacements, such as ‘Luv 2 Laf’ for ‘Love to Laugh.’
3. Jumble together some pronounceable syllables, such as ‘iv,mockRek9.’
Keep your password secret
1. Never tell your password to anyone (this includes significant others, roommates, coworkers, etc.). If you need to grant someone access to your account, set up a separate username and password for that person.
2. Never write your password down, especially not anywhere near your computer.
3. Do not store your password in a plain text file on your computer.
4. Never send your password over an unencrypted connection – including unencrypted email.
5. Periodically test your current password.
6. Update your password every six months.
