One in Three Workers Writes Down Their Passwords

Ever wander through an office building and see stacks of scribbled-on Post-It Notes lying on people's desks and stuck to their monitors? Well, guess what's written on all those little slips of paper: their passwords.

A new study from a couple of research firms indicates that password documentation is practically an epidemic in corporate America: one out of three people write them down so they don't forget them.

Why is it so hard to remember a few letters and numbers? The blame is centered on IT policies that require multiple passwords for different systems, complex passwords with mixed case characters and symbols like % and #, and, worst of all, requiring frequent changes of passwords, sometimes every two or three months. (The study incidentally showed what smart people have known all along: That having one password that you rarely change is just as effective at providing security.)

Ironically, it's not actually bad to write down your passwords, so long as you don't store them on paper you keep right next to your computer. Safes and safe-deposit boxes are perfect for storing records of your passwords in case you forget them, but they should be kept under physical lock and key.

For those who have trouble remembering passwords on a daily basis, consider a biometric solution like a thumbprint reader or a password manager, which will store all your passwords beneath a single master key. (If you're interested, check out PassPack, which is free. It's about halfway down the linked page.)