Passwords Made Easy: Taking the Complexity Out of Passwords

Presented by Jeff Hensel on February 8, 2018

Attendees: 22

Jeff shared some practical insights on how to create easy to remember passwords including those most popular passwords that should be avoided.

This is not a new topic but certainly worth talking about again.

Things change and password usage evolves.

There is much conversation about passwords.

We need them.

They must be safe and secure.

They have to be longer.

We need to update them.

Now we need security questions.

I keep forgetting them.

“They make me change them”

We’ll talk about how to make passwords that are secure but easy enough to remember them.

It’s OK to have the same password for many sites or accounts.  Maybe an exception or two.

There are passwords to avoid as people can figure them out.

We’ll talk about different types of password managers to help you keep track and remember accounts, User IDs and passwords. Even be able to share or pass on to family after we pass.

Your computer password is called a variety of names. Examples are: local account, Microsoft account, Apple ID, Google Account.

The Google Account is a Gmail account too.

An Apple ID is for iPhones, iPads,, Macs and iCloud.

If you have a password on this list you should change that password to improve security of that account or site.

Some passwords seem to appear on this list every year but there are some new ones this year. Mostly numbers or Pins.

Here is the article with the entire list. http://www.redmondpie.com/these-are-the-100-worst-passwords-of-2017-are-you-using-one-of-these/

We have to remember such a variety of passwords and Pin (Personal ID Numbers) these days it just strains our memory so much.

Fortunately some of the finger print readers are pretty good but facial recognition is still a little rough.

Some sites allow you to use your Google or Facebook account secure information as login IDS. The site has a secure arrangement with Google or Facebook that makes this work easily and securely. Don’t worry, you can turn this type of connection off from within Google or Facebook. Look in their security sections to perform this.

Another very safe and secure method is call 2 Factor Identification. This means your smartphone must be in your possession at the same time you desire to login. The site sends a code to your smartphone. Then you type this code into a page on the site. This completes a circle of identification.

Many of us have some method to record and save passwords and update them as things might change.

However going beyond a notebook or Excel file is wise and very useful.

There are programs (some are Free but most have a cost) that reside on your devices and/or computers  where you enter sites/accounts/etc. along with User IDs and Passwords along with other pertinent information. This app or program is now where you store and retrieve those IDs and passwords. All password managers require a password or PIN to open them so they are secure.

Password managers can also create complex and secure passwords by themselves and then  you enter them into the site.

Web-based password managers are very good and don’t require you to have the program on every device or computer. You simply get to it by going to their web page and enter your User ID and Password. Most of these password managers have a monthly or annual subscription. They are quite popular even with the costs.

Personally, I use an app/program on all of my devices and computers that synchronizes via Dropbox so they all have exactly the same information and update each other when something changes. However, I expect to evolve to a web-based password manager at some point so I don’t have to keep installing the app or program as I get a new computer or device.

Information to Keep In Your Password Manager

Work Information

Store your company’s portal log in to easily access information like your recent pay stubs, your 401(k) account, and your health insurance information.

Medical Records and Emergency Information

Keeping medical information on hand is simple enough to do, but finding a secure place to store it might be tricky. You can store scanned documents, medical cards, prescriptions, and other relevant information as attachments to the password manager entry that has your personal information (phone number, shipping address, email address) you use to fill out forms online. That way, selecting your name brings up whatever prescription information you need to make a purchase at your local Lens Crafters, or to purchase your medicine at a new pharmacy.

Children’s Account Information

Your kid can’t remember his login passwords? Add them to your password manager and tag them it with an identifying marker so you and your offspring can easily recall how to get back into their Club Penguin account.

Records of Purchases

Want to write off that desk you bought for your home office? Save the receipt for tax day. If you’ve got a physical transaction record, take a picture or scan the receipt, then upload it to your password manager. Got one emailed to you? Store that email as a PDF attachment and upload it to your manager.

Wireless Router Information

You’ve more than likely had to restart or even reset your router if you’ve had some intermittent internet issues. That means you probably had to remove it from its dusty hiding spot to re-enter the default username and password that grants you administrator access. Store that information in your password manager, along with your updated wi-fi login (the one with the clever name you thought up), so you can easily have and share it with guests.

Sharing With Others

There are more than a few passwords that might apply to everyone in your home, whether it’s the password for your router, your utilities account shared with your partner, or your Netflix login you send to your younger sibling.

Links to some Password Manager articles.

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp

https://lifehacker.com/5529133/five-best-password-managers

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-password-managers/

https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security/everything-you-need-to-know-about-password-managers/

When you create an account or sign up for something, you will typically create a User ID and a Password.

The User ID can typically be an email address but not always.. For example: name@gmail.com or name. The page will tell you.

You get to create the password and it will have some requirements.. Like length, types or characters required and maybe even a special character

A password scheme is a method used for creating a safe and secure password for any account you create or sign up for.

There are a variety of schemes but I’ll share just a few so that you can begin using one immediately.

Combining two or three unrelated things can make a very long password but most difficult for anyone but yourself to figure out.

In fact, you could use the very same password for virtually all of your websites and accounts.

Notice the 5 differences from password one to password two. Notice capital letters, letters to a number and a special character. These are very simple things to do and turn a pretty strong and secure password into a very secure one.

The third scheme is one I use where every password is different based on the single letter at the end. OK, OK. Some sites that begin with the same letter ‘G’ will have the very same password. This is perfectly OK and still very secure.