# Industrial strength passwords for IT guys **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857 "2008-02-16T04:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857/21 "2008-02-17T00:50:47Z")
I personally like the phrase method–one of my exes used it, only with a paragraph, not a sentence. This gave him a very long password that would be hard to crack. I’ve only adopted it in a couple instances, but that’s because most of my passwords are to online sites that I don’t care about. Myself, I use a cluster of passwords and usernames, and they intermix–for example, in some places my password is a variation on Jayn\_Newell, but in those places I’m not using my full handle, or a different one entirely. This way even if I forget the password to an infrequently visited site, I can do a brute force attack of my own, but it usually takes me under 8 tries to get in because I know the likely options. Places I really care about I use unique passwords, but they’re still ones that have meaning to me and are very easy for me to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857/22 "2008-02-17T01:24:09Z")
I use a couple schemes. I’ve got several word+number passwords that I use for routine sites, sites where I don’t care (too much) if someone figures out my password or not. The words are for the most part random nonsense originally assigned by a system I used many years ago. These word+number combos haven’t changed since the mid-80’s. Example: brell17 For more security I’ll use the same word+number combos, but I mix in the first and last initials of the site, in caps, e.g. SbrellE17 for [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com), FbrellO17 for [fandango.com](http://fandango.com), etc. For secure sites, I tend to use the same word+number combos mixed with initials for the site, but I leet-speak them and vary the caps, e.g. WbR3!lOi& is WbrellO17 for [wellsfargo.com](http://wellsfargo.com). Not bulletproof, and certainly less so since I posted this, but I can remember them, and the chances of someone figuring out any of my words and numbers are pretty low, much less the leet-speak translation I impose. If required to change these passwords I either use a different word+number base, or switch the caps order. I really hate systems that make me change too often. I have a limited number of combinations that I’m able/ willing to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857/23 "2008-02-17T01:45:31Z")
14KOfGInAFPD ETA: 14 not 15 :smack: ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857/24 "2008-02-17T02:27:22Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Is he overwriting the password or just getting into the folders? [/QUOTE] He changes the password so he can set up a new admin account. I haven’t wanted to ask too many questions about it, because he literally pulls the CD-R out of his pants, which is not the normal way we bring software into our area. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-strength-passwords-for-it-guys/437857.md?page=1)