Passwords and your security..

After reading this thread I thought it would be good to discuss passwords:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=69691

Being a forum admin we have an abnormally large amount of sites/forums that we have logins to. Do you have the same username/password for all of these sites?

Do you store your passwords on your computer somewhere? I'm thinking from now on I'm going to use a password generator to get my passwords since I"m getting increasingly more paranoid about my accounts being hacked as i'm getting more successful in what i do. I doubt i'll be able to remember these so I'm thinkg about storing them on my computer.

What are your thoughts?

 

I suggest you use RoboForm. I use this to randomly generate STRONG passwords and save it for later form-filling

 

I use passwords of different strengths for different purposes. The more critical the site, the harder the password. The less critical, the easier to guess.

But, at sites I never intend to return to, but which insist that you register before doing "XYZ", I sometimes use very random passwords. The kind I do not try to remember and which will not be useful anywhere else that I travel.

At eCommerce sites I expand my security one step further. I do not let them save my credit card information. This way, if someone guesses, they will need to use their own CC to buy anything.

I have nbeen increasing the length and complexity of my passwords for important sites. This elevates the guessing game.

I like the thought of using something to help manage this, because I like to use unique passwords everywhere so I cannot give someone something useful elsewhere.

Lets face it, all webmasters choose how they save passwords -- whether encrypted or in plain text. You are kidding yourself if you think all are honest and will not abuse the information they demand from you just to do the simplest things.

How many times have you had to register to access articles on "free websites". I can see registering for something I am paying for or on a forum, where I exist as a unique individual. But to read a friggin article at a free news site? Oh well, that is another rant. But, it is part of the whole discussion about passwords. Sites which do not need people to register to function should not do so. This would cut out "n" passwords you have to create and reduce the risk of giving out an important password.

 

I use something called a pronouncable password generator (google it to find some) to generate easy to remember passwords, then tack on some numbers/punctuation/capitalisation to make them stronger.

I have one password for super-critical sites (online banking and email), and then another password for other sites. I'd never use my email password with any site that has your email address, otherwise they can read your email. They'd probably get bored with mine, but still!

(Actually, I have a number of different passwords, as I would often use my password from the work internet where I worked as my everyday password, but they forced me to change it every 30 days! It can get confusing now....)

Jason