Choosing Secure Passwords
If you have a password on the web or in a document on your hard drive, then you should read Bruce Schneier’s “Choosing Secure Passwords”. I’m a fan of a Password Safe like he talks about in the article. Of course, you need to keep that safe, well, safe. But it’s interesting that no amount of encryption of save you from your OS keeping your password lying around in memory or in the swap disk.
Online banks have started asking your personal questions (that you supplied answers to when it made you set it up). This probably protects you from phishing attacks, but not from someone who knows you from getting in. Or someone that has done a background check on you. And I never remember the answer. Oh, I remember the correct answer, but not the exact answer. Did I put the state? Did I capitalize it? Which pet was that?
Surely there is a better way . . .