I’ll go further: 1Password on my iPhone/iPad, Mac, and Windows PC. A very nice ,ulti-platform solution. All passwords are kept in sync via DropBox, so whenever I change or add a password in one place, it’s there everywhere.
It’s not a free solution but I was happy to pay for it, three times.
I use eWallet on my iPhone, iMac, and iPad. It is a little too complicated - multiple wallets with multiple categories in each wallet and multiple card types in each category and multiple fields in each card. I have evolved to use multiple “Note” (free running text) cards in one category in one wallet. I spent hours fiddling with this silly thing before figuring out how pointless all the details were. Now I am pretty happy with it. The one thing I have not figured out is how to archive the whole thing en masse as readable text.
I just came up with a new thing for my work password. It has to be changed every 6 months, must include a number and capital letter, and I can’t use one I’ve used in the past [large number I don’t remember] of passwords. I have two kids. So, the last time I changed it I made it my daughter’s name and age, and in six months I’ll make it my son’s name and age, and then I can switch back and forth every six months.
Brilliant! So if I know, or can guess, your kids’ names and ages, I can get into your account.
Good point! To mitigate this, he could do something like adding a specific string somewhere in the password. Say, his childhood phone number, best friend in 3rd grade, or whatever.
So if the kids are Jane and Robert and the phone number was 555-1212, your passwords would be something like J555an1212e7years,
R555ober1212t3years.
This is similar to what someone upthread (or in another thread?) suggested: a basic string, customized in some way for the website. E.g. Jane5551212gmaildotcom, Jane5551212amazondotcom etc.
KeePass on a flash drive.
I actually had it generate some of the passwords, so they’re hard to remember but relatively secure – and I don’t need to remember them, anyway, because KeePass.
I write them all down in a file and post it to the Internet so I can always find them when I need them.
Let’s see…what was that URL again?
I’ve got an algorithm which I use to general “soft” passwords for throw away sites or “hard” passwords for more secure things, and then I just keep a password protected copy on my hard disk and a back up on a protected hard disk. The soft passwords are simple, for me, but wouldn’t necessarily be obvious to anyone else.
One problem with using the same passwords for everything is that if one site is hacked, then you can be vulnerable.
There have been problems in Japan with pickpockets who steal people’s wallets after watching them withdraw cash. People would often have several banks and they would mostly use the same PIN. Other problems have been thieves who were setting up hidden cameras in locker rooms where people could set up their own 4-digit combination lock, and most people would use the same as their bank PIN. So, I always use different PINs and never use the same number for hotel safes or locker rooms. I always use one number for those.