Ben by Daniel Shelton for June 30, 2021

Using names and birthdates is how hackers figure out our passwords…. luckily, I don’t use them, other than for sign-in names. The passwords need to be a little more convoluted, and basically unguessable, in my case. ;)

Remembering passwords isn’t the main issue here, but which password to use for which purpose. Especially since some sites will only let you try 3 times before locking your account.

In my office I challenged each person to reset their passwords, then I would try to crack them. I cracked 90% of the passwords. Names, birthdays, children’s names, pets names, all were easy. One person had the dumbest password. It was “password”. That is right. From then on in I assigned the passwords. Mix of upper and lower case, no actual words, numbers and symbols. Some needed a password manager because they could never remember it. And I hired these people? What was I thinking?

I’m not unhackable but it’s going to take a multilingual Freudian anagramist who knows the “real” hallmarks of my life to get in.

I love that word “convoluted!”

Hope you don’t do that for your on-line banking account, although I doubt that they would let you.

Wouldn’t work for me. I only have 4 great grands.

I have 1 child, 2 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. And over 150 different passwords. I ran out early on.

I’m just glad all my cats have middle names.

and pets, best friends. neighbors, acquaintances, drs. lawyers, fellow workers, teachers, etc…..