Plaintext Passwords

What’s worse than forgetting your password?

I say it is resetting your password with a nice strong complex one using one of those Forgot Password” tools on the website and then receiving an email confirmation that contains your password in plaintext!

Here are my recommendations on how to avoid this problem:

1. Don’t forget your passwords! (but if that’s going to happen, perhaps the other ideas below will suit you better)
2. Use a password manager, so you always have your passwords available.  There are many different programs/apps/websites available to facilitate this.  I will delve into the different kinds in an upcoming post 🙂

Expiring Passwords

Can you answer with “in the last 3 months” to any of these?

When was the last time you changed your password for …

1. your primary email account?
2. your bank account?
3. Facebook?
4. eBay?
5. iTunes?
6. WordPress?

If the answer is:

Password Tip #2

Start Small

Don’t try to change all your passwords and your entire password generation process in one shot.  It takes time to develop a method that works for you.

Let’s all start today and stop creating accounts using our tried-and-true password.  You know, that one you’ve used for every website from Yahoo! and Google to eBay and iTunes.

Password Tip #1

Do not store your passwords in a text file on a USB device or in an easily accessible area of your computer, unless the file is encrypted and password protected.

If someone were to get ahold of your computer or solid-state storage device, would they be able to retrieve your passwords for online banking? email? Facebook? Twitter? PayPal?  iTunes? eBay? Starbucks? XBox 360?  Think about your online footprint.