Passwords 101

Thu Jun 8, 2006 6:03PM EDT

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Here's some of the best advice on passwords I've found. It comes from Steve Bass at PC World, who starts off with this tip:

Change your email account password if you are going away and using public PCs in Internet cafes or libraries. Then change it again when you get home. That way, if the systems are infested with spyware and keylogger programs, which track keystrokes (including passwords), hackers will have short-term access to your email password.

He dispatches the tried-and-true counsel to mix up letters, symbols and numbers when creating passwords. But he also recommends some password-creation software:

• The WinGuides Network Web-based tool that you can download here.

• Steve Gibson's Perfect Passwords, which provides unique, "high-quality, cryptographic-strength password strings" every time someone clicks on the site.

• RoboForm—Bass' personal favorite, it creates passwords and securely remembers them. Hands down, it's the best tool for storing all your user ID and password data for Web sites, he writes. High praise.

You can find a trial version of the $30 program in PC World's Downloads library. There's also a USB version of RoboForm, called Pass2Go, that allows you to use your passwords on someone else's PC without leaving your password info on the PC.

Some good advice, especially since the little notebook I keep my passwords in is getting full. How do you manage your passwords? 

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  • 106 Posted by exllent60@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    How about if you save your PSWRD in a program like word perfect? It is no associated with the WWW, I just assumed it was safe there is it?

  • 107 Posted by fox17@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Use your library card number, or some other account number that isn't important.

  • 108 Posted by eleaders on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a simple system I change my passwords all at the same time on 90 day intervals. I use the date as part of the password and, because I am a dog enthusiast, I use a breed name along with the date. To make it even more interesting....I change the format of the date every other time. For instance. One time my password may be Siberian0207...next time it may be CollieJune21....and finally....sometimes I put the date before the breed...like June24Pug... I have even decided to capitalize vowels. bEAglEApr15. Just some suggestions. It's important to not you should always use bothe upper and lowecase letters. I try to steer away from symbols because many systems do not support symbols.

  • 109 Posted by redpenguindog on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    Is it bad if all my passwords are the same thing for each login?

  • 110 Posted by katielinusa on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    I usually change my password after 20 days. Like first I had Qtipsforsale. Then I changed it to FallingDownToEarth. It was so funny when I saw someone trying to hack in. Oh the joy of it. Some I use as 4+2=6-5=1x2=2+4=6 or something like that.

  • 111 Posted by izaqblue on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    has anyone heard much about the biometrics devices such as the fingerprint usb device. you sit it in next to your computer and when you are asked for a password, you simple put your finger on the device and it reads for the proper fingerprint and translates it into some sort of mathematical algotrithm

  • 112 Posted by w6zrd on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree whole heartedly with Bass, RoboForm is great. RoboForm is well worth the 30 bucks. I have over 50 different passwords from over 50 sites and love not having to remember them all. Pass2Go is already on my wish list for my B-Day in July.

  • 114 Posted by jon0646 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    what are you guys all talking about i dont't understand

  • 115 Posted by wv_toker_1983 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    I remember my passwords by plain old good memory:D:)

  • 116 Posted by mattschneck88 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is best not to keep sentive infomation on a computer.

  • 117 Posted by lgfritz@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    i hate having to change my password every day. Now my new password will be ******. Try to guess it.

  • 118 Posted by ncscoggin@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    I also keep mine in a small notebook. It isn't close to full but it is messy because I've hurredly scratched out a rewritten, scratched out and rewritten. This sounds like a good idea!!!!!!! Nan

  • 119 Posted by cbshaw07@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Everyone has good ideas. But it is rare that someone would hack into your pc to get your porn accts, or what ever else you may have. The best thing to do for a password is to never tell anyone what that would be, and if you happen to tell someone, make sure its someone you can trust, and change the password at the first sign of trouble. most passwords dont matter how long it is. and seriously. if you use some random generated password, are you truly going to memorize that, or are you going to forget it. how about write it down on some paper somewhere.... now how safe is that.... i use the same password for everything. my passwords at work, and home are the same. i can remember that. and noone can crack that. i wont eaven hint to what it could be. but it is too easy to remember. something like that is what you should use.... i work for the larges cable company in north america, as tech support for internet, and i have only came across a few callers out of the 9000+ people i speek to in a year, that have had password issues. usualy with there ex's, and a few that have fell victom to id theft. and only two that have complaind of hackers. Basicly it comes down to this. Media, and software companys, have put a mass histeria out to get people to do stupid things and be scaird of so called HACKERS and stuff like that so they can profit from that. But the reality of it is, you dont need to be that parinoid, as to change your password so often, and to have some weird system to pick a password for you... why buy those programs, its a waist of money... just sit out a note pad and make something up. like C189CG996 or what ever. h0x3r or something. unless someone has some elite hacking programs and really truly wants your information, they cant figure it out if you dont tell them. keep good firewalls going at all times, and antivirus programs up to date, and get an antispyware program like microsofts windows defender. and if your really parinoid... TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND UNPLUG YOUR CABLE OR DSL MODEM. thats an open gateway for hackers, besides it causts around 800 or more per year to leave a computer on all the time, and it will cause internal damage to it at some point. with all that said. lets stop caring so much about passwords and lets go after the people who make spyware. Now thats where the real trouble begins. 85% of computers dont have antivirus software and have many, many, annoying spyware problems. Someone write an artical on that for once.

  • 120 Posted by gaskillred on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I use Roboform. Have been for a year. Great program with a lot of great features.

  • 121 Posted by ryankrolikowski@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    if your going to make a good password you need it to be subliminal but obvious and very clever. if you are really clever you could make it so that you tell someone your password without them knowing it. such as if someone asks you for your password and you say i cant tell you then icanttellyou should be your password if you can come up with a password that flys under the radar you will be much more secure

  • 123 Posted by kyleroblori@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    Great idea on the adding a #, however my employer's system will not allow any of the same characters in the same position for up to a year. Best passwords contain at least one capital letter and one #. Simple as that.

  • 124 Posted by harlema43 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    Right in the midst of making entries in my new AT&T e-mail DSL account it disappeared and a Yahoo! page popped up that forced me to open an account with them. AT&T no longer recognized my ID or password. I had Yahoo free when I was with earthlink now I have to pay for it. I am paying for AT&T but getting something else of inferior quality because AT&T doesn't support DSL.

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