Where a low level of security is needed, e.g. this message board, but like the pizza place requires a complex password, I always use a four letter word for intercourse as part of it.
I don’t mind my brokerage or bank account requiring a complex password, but sports message boards, and such like, are getting too darned high falutin for my taste if they want U/C, L/C, a number and a special character.
My bank, Chase, recently changed their number requirements for an ATM. They moved down from six digits to only four. I was content to use six. Now their damned cards stick in the machine and take about 20 extra seconds to read. Also when I ask for recent transactions it now gives me only five instead of the former ten. Worse, if I get an ATM “statement” instead of asking me if I want another transaction it automatically logs me out which adds almost another minute to the transaction. Stupid.
I use Keepass and store the database on Dropbox. Then I can access it from my Android phone. I’m pretty sure there is also an iOS app for reading the database on an iPhone.
And you can make multiple databases, so you can have one with your bank passwords only on your home computer, and another on Dropbox with passwords for sites that you don’t care much if the passwords are hacked. Though you could also just keep those passwords in a text file in Dropbox. I guess the only concern then is if the pizza place also has your credit card info on file.
I have a “formula” I use to generate a password based on the name of the site I’m accessing.
So even if I haven’t been somewhere for a year, I don’t have to remember the password. Works for sites that don’t require you to change passwords.
At my new job, I have about 8 new programs that require passwords, that also require a change periodically.
F it, I made a password protected, encrypted Excel file with all my passwords that is on my encrypted hard drive. I do believe that meets any security requirements.
Now the only ones I have to remember are my password to get through my machine encryption, and on to the computer/ network. Oh, and for the Excel file. Everything else I’ll look up.
What I absolutely hate are the sites that, if you forgot your password, go through with resetting it, then go to replace the temporary password with something you can remember… tells you that the “new” password you chose is the same as one of up to five(<-sometimes eight!) past passwords used, so you need to come up with yet another one. Geez, maybe that’s why I keep having to click the “Forgot Password” link? :smack:
If I have to go look somewhere else to figure out my password, that’s still going to cut into me using your service.
Unless I’m giving you a credit card to store, I tend to use the same password on purchasing sites. If someone wants to log into my account and pay for me to get a pizza, I’m perfectly okay with that.
And as mentioned, different requirements for different systems, requiring updates at different times, some can recognize special characters, some require a special character, some only recognize certain special characters … arrrgh! And of course, security experts tell you not to ever, EVER write passwords down, and NEVER use the same password on multiple sites. Yeah, right. Like that xkcd password trick, sure, it’s easier to remember a “picture phrase” in your head, but you’re still going to have to remember multiple “phrases” for different password lengths/requirements/change periods. I don’t see how that’s helpful.
I have a system for creating passwords that works pretty well, and I’m sure nobody could crack, but … it’s actually more true that I have three different systems, so I don’t have the same thing everywhere. So I need to remember which system I used at which website. Not to mention, the periodic update cycles for some places mean now there’s still differences that I have to remember.
I have a (password protected, naturally) app where I store all my passwords, in something like a vault. As long as I have access to my iPad, I’m good. But it shouldn’t be like this.
(One new log-in for a training system at my federal job changed to require at least 8 characters, an upper case and a lower case letter, a number, and a special character. The new password was obvious: 8Characters! That one I’m not going to forget, until they make me change it again.)
Only a barbarian would put bell peppers on pzza. Or on anything. Those things are not edible and they “flavor” everything with their nastiness. You can taste them even after you pick them off.
I have a password generator, even storing passwords for sites I basically never use, since I can’t 100% trust my browser to store them. (Also, don’t want to store important passwords on the browser.)
I don’t use a smartphone, but if I did, I wonder how I would transfer my email password to it. (It’s a long and complicated password that I don’t memorize, due to the password generator, but I’d have to look at it and laboriously type it onto a touchscreen.)
Former workplace password was exactly 8 chara, Uppercase, lowercase & number. There are plenty of pro athletes with six-letter last names (or seven-letter last names & a single digit on their jersey). You always got a number of days warning when it was about to expire so it was easy enough to decide on a new password ahead of time.
Except when I went in to change it, they added a special character requirement. Therefore, on the fly I needed to change what I was going to put in, which I of course forgot come the next business day…after a three-day weekend. :smack:
I also hate e-com sites that don’t let me check out as guest. Two years later, when I want to order from them again…“We’re sorry that email has been used.”
First I need to get my user name. Then I need to reset my password. Then I abandon my txn & to go to another site that doesn’t make me jump thru 47 hoops.
It’s actually a sinister plot started under the Obama administration to control what we get to stuff down our own throats. Michelle Obama specifically was responsible for this. Can’t outlaw pizza? Fine. Just make ordering it as complicated as possible, thus resulting in less and less pizza being consumed. Tip of the iceberg folks, tip of the iceberg.