Writing Your Life History In Passwords

from the security-is-for-wimps dept

While I'm sure this article will make security-minded folks cringe, here's the story of a woman who, when forced every three months to change her password at work, picks a word that relates to whatever she's focused on in life at that moment. She then writes the password down on a piece of paper - that includes all of her past passwords for many years - and scans that piece of paper into her computer. While the security of this method is quite weak, she says the unintended consequence is that she now has a snapshot of what was going on in her life at three month intervals for many, many years. Of course, there are probably better ways to keep a journal of your life than by hiding it in your password.

5 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    Story of my life...

    identicon
    Oliver Wendell Jones, Feb 9th, 2004 @ 10:29am

    Wow, in looking back I see that my life has been quite fascinating.

    Here's the excerpt of my last few passwords:

    Secret030
    Secret029
    Secret028
    Secret027
    Secret026

    Pretty fascinating, huh? It's OK to be jealous...

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Re: Story of my life...

    identicon
    Beck, Feb 9th, 2004 @ 11:03am

    Better not let your wife see this.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    Re: Story of my life...

    identicon
    LittleW0lf, Feb 9th, 2004 @ 4:02pm

    Here's the excerpt of my last few passwords:

    Secret030
    Secret029
    Secret028
    Secret027
    Secret026


    Wow, I use the same passwords, but only for non-important stuff like Online Banking, Online Stock Transactions, and Commercial websites which use the password to protect my credit card information.

    For everything else, I use my ultra-top-secret password: 1-2-3-4-5.

    "Damn, that is the same combination I use on my luggage." -- President Skroob (Mel Brooks), _Spaceballs_.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    You know...

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 9th, 2004 @ 5:02pm

    If she'd just waited till AFTER she changed her password to write it down, it wouldn't be a security risk.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    Re: You know...

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 9th, 2004 @ 6:03pm

    Other than they're dictionary words, and someone who found the list would figure that out, and that they also tend to have a narrow focus.

    Oh well, someday she'll learn, and hard, or she won't and it won't matter. At least she isn't a doctor or an insurance adjuster, or somebody who we trust with really sensitive information.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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