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On passwords...
Oct. 27th, 2004 06:17 pmSo I was trying to log on to view my 401(k) information.
I hit the username/password screen and suddenly realized I blanked on my password. I had no idea what I had set it to. I went through my three or four "secure" passwords that I have (ones that I use for things like online banking and so on).
it would not let me on.
So I went to the "Reset password" page. Of course it had one of those idiotic "What was the name of your first pet?" questions that so annoy me. This one was "What was the name of the street where you grew up. I entered it. It refused.
So I assumed that it was because I had entered "St." when I answered it the first time and had just tried "Street". nope, that did not let me in. So I figured I had entered the physical address in addition to the street name. Nope.
Then, of course, I got booted out of the system entirely for trying too many times. I figure I have to just leave off the "Street" portion entirely.
Now I have to call their offices tomorrow.
One solution I have come up with for some passwords is a semi-cryptic document on my computer where I write down hints for passwords for different sites. I will just write two characters of an eight-character password. Enough that I know what the password is, but someone looking at the page would only get some help at figuring out the password (along with knowing what other sites I use the same password for).
My web browser can save passwords for different sites, and I should use it more often than I do now. There is something obviously insecure about this, though.
And, of course, I feel I need about a dozen different passwords. These range from ones that I will use on almost every single website that wants me to register for it, all the way to ten digit alphanumeric passwords for things like online banking.
I am also finding that my passwords are becoming more and more complex as I go on. Where I used to just add a single numeric digit in the middle of an all lower-case word before, now the passwords use about one-third digits, and include changes in case.
Add in occasional password changing, and I am trying to remember *way* too many complex passwords. There should be an easier way of doing this, but...
About the only technological way I can think to do this is to use Apple's Keychain (where a single password will unlock multiple saved passwords), but have the Keychain occasionally prompt for its password (meaning chances are I am still sitting in front of the computer).
Of course, I run into problems with the keychain ever as it is now - I will try to log onto something from work, for example, and realize that I have not entered the actual password in months since it has been saved in my keychain.
I think as time goes on, though, the "password situation" will have to be dealt with. I know Microsoft was trying with Passport. Good idea, bad implementation, I think. I would even be willing to have a hardware key to help out with it. Maybe a keychain stored on a flash drive that occasionally asked for its password (so leaving the keychain behind would not be too bad of a security problem). You could add biometrics to it, as well. You would have to integrate the hardware and the software on computers, but since most of the computers I run are Macs...
Any other ideas? Suggestions?
I hit the username/password screen and suddenly realized I blanked on my password. I had no idea what I had set it to. I went through my three or four "secure" passwords that I have (ones that I use for things like online banking and so on).
it would not let me on.
So I went to the "Reset password" page. Of course it had one of those idiotic "What was the name of your first pet?" questions that so annoy me. This one was "What was the name of the street where you grew up. I entered it. It refused.
So I assumed that it was because I had entered "St." when I answered it the first time and had just tried "Street". nope, that did not let me in. So I figured I had entered the physical address in addition to the street name. Nope.
Then, of course, I got booted out of the system entirely for trying too many times. I figure I have to just leave off the "Street" portion entirely.
Now I have to call their offices tomorrow.
One solution I have come up with for some passwords is a semi-cryptic document on my computer where I write down hints for passwords for different sites. I will just write two characters of an eight-character password. Enough that I know what the password is, but someone looking at the page would only get some help at figuring out the password (along with knowing what other sites I use the same password for).
My web browser can save passwords for different sites, and I should use it more often than I do now. There is something obviously insecure about this, though.
And, of course, I feel I need about a dozen different passwords. These range from ones that I will use on almost every single website that wants me to register for it, all the way to ten digit alphanumeric passwords for things like online banking.
I am also finding that my passwords are becoming more and more complex as I go on. Where I used to just add a single numeric digit in the middle of an all lower-case word before, now the passwords use about one-third digits, and include changes in case.
Add in occasional password changing, and I am trying to remember *way* too many complex passwords. There should be an easier way of doing this, but...
About the only technological way I can think to do this is to use Apple's Keychain (where a single password will unlock multiple saved passwords), but have the Keychain occasionally prompt for its password (meaning chances are I am still sitting in front of the computer).
Of course, I run into problems with the keychain ever as it is now - I will try to log onto something from work, for example, and realize that I have not entered the actual password in months since it has been saved in my keychain.
I think as time goes on, though, the "password situation" will have to be dealt with. I know Microsoft was trying with Passport. Good idea, bad implementation, I think. I would even be willing to have a hardware key to help out with it. Maybe a keychain stored on a flash drive that occasionally asked for its password (so leaving the keychain behind would not be too bad of a security problem). You could add biometrics to it, as well. You would have to integrate the hardware and the software on computers, but since most of the computers I run are Macs...
Any other ideas? Suggestions?
