Passwords.

[conny]

Do you have the same password for all the different sites you visit or do you have individual ones for everything?
If individual ones for every site how many, (off hand), do you need?

As most people are aware, having the same one for everything is very foolish due to scammers being able to 'raid' your information, so it's sensible to have different ones and also to change them every so often.
Do you change yours regularly or just when you think you have been hacked?
I've seen mention of 'Password Manager' but never looked in to it. What does it do and how secure is it?

(Please don't reveal any passwords on here).

 

[sxturbo]

I have the same for everything, you have passwords for so many things it's impossible to keep track of them.

I've had some sites consistently ask me to change and it's a pain in the rectum. As I can never remember what it changes to.

 

[charliegolf]

Add to that, my IT security director daughter's advice, that passwords should be 14 characters long!

I've pushed a few up to 12.

 

[Mottie]

I let my iPad choose for me - 16 random digits I think - and the iPad remembers it and face recognition somehow enters it for me on the majority of the sites I go on at home. Same system but fingerprint ID on the iPhone.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I use shared passwords for several sites, but use high security ones where necessary, such as banking.

 

[conny]

I share the same one over no more than 3 totally unconnected sites E.G. the one I use for this site is shared with 2 others totally unrelated to DIY.
I use a different one for another 3 sites and another for another 3 sites etc, etc. I do rotate or replace them every 3 months or so and find the easiest way to remember them is to jot them down in a notebook. Each letter of the alphabet takes 4 pages for any sites beginning with that letter. Each site is allocated a minimum of 4 lines for quarterly changes. The book is obviously stored in a safe location and never near my computer. If someone did manage to steal it what they see written wouldn't make any sense if they tried to access a site with those details as they are also encoded.
Some people would find it too much of a bother but, if someone is determined to get my details, I intend to make it as hard as possible for them to do it easily.

 

[fillyboy]

(Please don't reveal any passwords on here).

I'm not shy, mine is *********.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Add to that, my IT security director daughter's advice, that passwords should be 14 characters long!

Interesting. Is there a specific reason for 14?


How do hackers find the passwords if they don't know even know the length even if it was only 4 digits?

 

[fillyboy]

Interesting. Is there a specific reason for 14?

13 would be unlucky?

 

[mattylad]

I go for about 30 characters with symbols and capitals etc. wherever possible.
I have 1 long password to remember.

The rest I leave to a password manager to deal with, every site gets a different/unique password that's going to be hard to crack.
The only sites with the same password are old and I have not visited there in a long time and no longer use that password.
Lastpass used to be good but since it was bought out it's gone to poop.
I'm trying to move over to bitwarden now.

I have to remove 15 locks, 3 chains and a chainmail bag from off of my PC to get to it although that may be too secure considering I'm living in a mine 200ft below the surface.

OK so the last bits a tad OTT but I'll live with it lol

edit: I was asked to go onto electronic wage slips at a previous employers, but seeing as they could not tell me the password length for sage and wanted me to write it on a piece of paper, give it to a supervisor that was then passed to the accounts director to enter - I kinda declined. lol

 

[conny]

Interesting. Is there a specific reason for 14?


How do hackers find the passwords if they don't know even know the length even if it was only 4 digits?

I believe they use programs which utilise algorithms that can generate thousands of sequences per second and 'ping' your PC's IP number trying to find a 'backdoor' to gain access. Once they are in it becomes quite easy to find things. Apparently your PC used to store all your passwords in hidden files but not sure if they still do this. I will NEVER save any password to a computer when it asks me to.

 

[mattylad]

I never allow the browser to save the password.
I also check the wifes pc from time to time to remove the sensitive ones from it.

 

[charliegolf]

Interesting. Is there a specific reason for 14?

She is not the hands-on security expert, so it's what her guys tell her. They have demonstrated that yer average six character is easily crackable. At 14, it's GCHQ and NSA territory. If either of them want my 12 digit DIYNOT password, they need just ask!

 

[fillyboy]

She is not the hands-on security expert, so it's what her guys tell her. They have demonstrated that yer average six character is easily crackable. At 14, it's GCHQ and NSA territory. If either of them want my 12 digit DIYNOT password, they need just ask!

charliegolf123

 

[fillyboy]

charliegolf123

No, that's 13 digits, must be charliegolg12.