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How Are You Remembering and Keeping Your Passwords Safe?

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Dynasty

  On the recent events of Gawker's database got hacked into and Amazon's website going down, I restarted thinking on how I am keeping my passwords safe. Out of the hundreds of sites that I go to, I can admit using 5 different passwords that meet all the minimum security requirements. Lucky for us that most sites have a "Forgot Your Password" feature in case we don't remember. But that is something that hackers can use to break into accounts.

Password Security Tips


 
   At my previous career as a system administrator more than 10 years ago, I would need to make sure everybody including myself change our passwords ever 30 days and we have strong password encyptions up to 7 layers for the administrative passwords. I have been slacking off and use a password keeper in my Black Berry for most of my passwords and have started to create a more secure system which I don't dive too much in detail to reduce security.

 
   How are you remembering and keeping your passwords safe?

Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

Song my system is very simple and yet it helps me to remember all the passwords I've ever created and they are very hard to guess

I use the name of the website I need a password for and create a formula and use the same formula everywhere

 

Lets say you like fishing . .

so you can pick a phrase like: I like fishing on Saturdays 

pick the first letter of each word. .

ILFOS

now create a formula. . 

First letter of the website + ILFOS + Second letter of the website + the number 17 (my birthday day of the month)

 

Now I go to Yahoo and my password is:

YILFOSA17

Now try to guess that if you are a hacker. . 

I go to Google and my password is:

GILFOSO17

Activerain?

AILFOSC17

 

Completely different websites, different passwords and you donlt have to keep your passwords on a file on your computer or phone. . .you can have 100's of passwords and you will remember them all. . 

All you need is the  formula!

 

That's how I can remember all my passwords that I've crested on the past.. 

 

Dec 17, 2010 09:58 PM
Song San
Coldwell Banker Dynasty - Rosemead, CA
Broker, MBA

Fernando: That is a very neat idea. I am using something similar and will incorporate yours too. Thanks

Dec 18, 2010 10:08 AM