
Always love to check out new web2.0 services and do a lot of registrations and signing up but always find myself forgetting the passwords. I do have applications which encrypt and store my passwords but are a pain to open. Been trying to think of an easy way to manage passwords as I (and recommend you to) use a different password/username for every website I use. The reason is that if you use the same combination, all it takes is to have a malicious employee to get hold of your details and gain access to all your other services. For example, 25% of Japanese internet users choose the same password as their username - 87% said they use the same username/password combination for all the different sites they use. if you are doing the same then consider changing the way you choose user/pass combinations before its too late. Read more from this survey at What Japan Thinks. Also from the survey, because most use the same combination, only 9.2 of users said that they frequently forgot their password. And just in case you are wondering - no I cant see your password as its encrypted the moment you register at dc.com.
Hmm.. I guess I'll vote for "sometimes" since Firefox does the job ^_^ As for combinations.. They're all the same :X
Ehh... I have the same password for all of my sites I visit. A 'malicious employee' could mess my life up pretty badly right now @_@. I'd better go fix that. Thanks Danny---!
To be honest I use about 5-6 different passwords that I alternate between ranging from very easy passwords to very difficult password and I use firefox to do any remembering of passwords when I want to access sites quickly, I think in general as long as you have a varied amount of passwords it makes it much more difficult for anybody to cause damage as if they find one pass out they may only be able to access a couple of sites at the most and this saves a lot of hassle with remembering potentially hundreds of passwords unless you use a password manager like firefox of cause.
I do the same thing as you. i have 7 different passwords for sites depending on how secure it needs to be like a webhosting account would take the most difficult as well as my e-mail acc's. Things i don't really care about will get the very easy pass. People may think this is stupid but no one knows what sites i go to. i leave no tracks, no links to my other places, nothing that could link me with another site.
I try to remember all of them... but if I don't go to that particular website for a while, I'd completely forget what it is. I do have a set of password rotation, so if one password doesn't work then it must be the other ones. I have about 3 or 4 password rotation, sometimes a variation on a few of them.
Most of my username and password are the same for the sites I visit...
I try to have variation but, it sure is a lot to remember too... ^^;
UH OH! I need to do some major username/password changes then >__<
Well, I use different user names and pass depending on which site I go...
I've been rethinking changing my passwords and email addresses somewhat, but I've got registrations at so many sites it'll be a pain...now I use the same ones at practically every site orz
Some websites I use the same password on, repeatedly. Usually, they're of less importance (I could really care less if someone hacks my MySpace account, for instance). Others (like e-mail), I use a unique password, but rarely change it. And then, there's work. Military requires me to use a new password every three months, with a minimum character requirement and letter/number/symbol requirment. Plus, it can't be a password that I've used within the last 18 months (or be similar to a password I've used). I usually end up writing those passwords down. ^^;
You're right Danny but if you don't use any software will be hard to remember. If im using web app firefox will do it for me.
I only use the same password on registration sites that don't seem that important to me. Email, DC, etc all have different users/pass. The thing is...I remember them all. =w=''
Firefox's password remembering function does a pretty good job, but as a Mac user I personally use 1Password because it works across Camino, Safari, and Firefox, can store addresses and credit cards and other general passwords too, has a built in password generator, and is just all-around full of awesome. I think it's $30 or so, but a good investment.
By "works across" I mean it puts a toolbar button in these and several other browsers, that brings up a menu with stored passwords for the site you're on and the option to go to and automatically log in to any of the sites you have passwords stored for. It also automatically asks you if you want to save new passwords; no (or at least very little for basic use) having to open and switch between different programs to save and fill in passwords or having to keep them manually up to date across multiple browsers. (Only "downside" is it's Mac-only, but if you only use Macs you should be fine :P)
1Password is awesome, truly :)
I too use 1password its really a great program!
I tend to use easy passwords for sites and services I wouldn't care people having access to, like random forums and random web games. If it's something important, or something to do with finances or business information, I have a lengthy complex string for password that varies from site to site, and sometimes even username. I remember those since I can't trust any sort of program to "secure" them anyway -_-
I have over 70 usernames and passwords. to my shame I have to admit I had to write them down, especially some that I only use once a month. I tend to be reluctant with having the web browser remember my passwords as other people sometimes use my laptop which if they leave it alone for more then 5 minutes also locks up :-)
I'm using the same password in almost every site that I have registered to. Because this way is way more easy to have one to access all. I think I better go and change it right now a malicious employee is a no-no for me.
I use different user/passwords for university services, gmail,hotmail, Internet account, wireless, linux and windows, etc, too many passwords to remember, so frequently forgot a few, and find myself scratching my head and trying to remember the user/password >.<.
I have a few passwords... and i use them according to importance... if needed to i would also made a few out that is similar but very different in some sense... haha...
I try to use different username and password combination for different sites but not really different ones for every single site. Maybe like 3-4 combinations for all of the sites that I visit.
I often use the same password, but mix it up with a few different variations I have set. This way If I forget a password, i just need to run it a few times with some altercations to the pass. like password password55 pa55word pasSworD. for example. thats not to say i don't use something completely different now and again. A lot of questionable sites will always be something completely different ( like private game servers)
I have different passwords for stuff, but I write them down somewhere...there's also a program called keepass my friend uses that's pretty good at organizing passwords, but have yet to try it myself...
I'm not a good memorizer. I even forgot to write it down in a paper in some occasions. LOL That's why, as possible, same combination I will use but with the latest protections installed. At the same time, I decide wisely whether to be part of a site or not, because I know, I'm pretty vulnerable.
Passwords are one of my pet hates at work, as my job means having to use a variety of equipment each controlled by a PC with its' own login codes - who else is going to use them??. The company workstations require you to login three times to use the software required to do the job (including Lotus Notes), but if the passwords are different, it will set them all to be the same! This is from a company who insist that everyone attend an 'IT Security Seminar' on an annual basis. I don't think they have realised the full definition of 'security' yet...
I tend to use the same password for different categories. Other times not. I'm getting used to putting numbers in as well. I keep my passwords encrypted in case i forget.
I've forgotten a total amount of 5 email passwords and 3 blog related accounts and 3 online game accounts T_T I use different passwords and keep them in a notebook with lock. I carry the keys to it all the time.
As you are a Mac lover as I am, I really recomend you 1password, it is an incredible aplication for our macs and iphone/itouch that syncs all the information and is really cheap and useful. That way you can generate aleatory passwords and check them later or use them directly from Safari, Firefox...
i have passwords i remember in my head my hardest ones are passwords with a bunch of numbers and letters example: 554c814333 my easier passwords i use for sites i don't care much about are Example: Kazooie or Goldania none of these are legit passwords just examples. i prefer my hard passwords since they are easier then words to remember they are like phone numbers you should try making passwords like that you will feel safer and won't forget so much
Actually, I have a simple secret algorithm that uses the URL of the website to come up with a unique password for the site. As an example (no, this is not the algorithm I use), take the first letter or number of the URL, then capitalize it if it is a .com address, lowercase if it is anything else + number of letters in domain name + "W" if there is www in front of URL + "pi" + 4 digits of pi if the domain has even number of letters, or 6 digits of pi if domain has odd number of letters. So the password for www.dannychoo.com would be: "D10Wpi3141". It sounds complicated, but I find that I end up remembering the actual string for websites I go to a lot anyway. If that's too hard, I hear that 1password is an excellent program for keeping track of passwords on a Mac.
Of course, I would go and make a calculation error: www.dannychoo.com would actually be "d9Wpi314159" -_-;;
I have about 4 different passwords that I use generally. Usually though I only use different passwords for paypal, amazon and similar online services that store my card details.
Uhh... oh wow... I never really thought about this before... I always use the same username and password for any website... But well, since for now, none of the websites i visited could harm em in any way even if the password is broken, i think it's fine... Well, maybe some cyber bully, but who would be so sad to pick on me, right? Different case for e-mail tho, the address and password are different to websites that i register to.... But same address and password among all my e-mails.
I use the same dummy password for occasional website registration and record the important passwords in a safe place, maybe in a coded notebook (a real notebook made in paper I mean).
it just becomes more and more difficult as one starts to register up for sites that someday they might continue using. and then there is this whole conflict of having your username/passwd combo stored on a file in your PC and then have it disappear by accident or copy by another person. writing it down doesn't helps as well so might as well register to a limited amount of sites that i am fond of and go on from there.
lol i always have trouble after i format my computer coz firefox lost my passwords XD usually use the same password/username for everything too. except for online banking and ebay... stuff that concerns money XD
when it comes to forum/sns sites I tend to just use the same one password. But more important things like bank accounts, emails, ftps etc. use different passwords.
the passwords i often forget of journals or random sites i rarely visit but had to register.
I was thinking "Oh shi.. Has Danny seen my password?" until I see the line "And just in case you are wondering - no I cant see your password as its encrypted the moment you register at dc.com." since its so damn lame =/
Only for important stuff I will use different username and passwords. But when it comes to like registering for websites to gain access to stuff I will use the same username and password. Just to make things easier if I ever need to re-visit that site again.
well since i'm a daigakkusei it is not that important if i use the same username and password, but maybe later on i'll consider changing them
i have 1 base password - all numerical - 13 digits with around 14 permutations of it that i can easily remember im a bit of a personal security freak ^^"
and all my passwords can be punched out in about 3secs - limits the probability of random persons eyeing me when i tap it in, but the major drawback is that i need a numeric keypad What's funny is that i actually don't know the exact numbers for my passwords since i've deliberately made it 2nd nature/muscle memory for each permutation
I have one "basic" password taht i use for every "not important" websites. And I have one password for every other account like gmail, my linux, my windows, my firefox, my school account...Etc. In my school if you use the same password everytime someone will find it and stole your account to send mail to people in the school saying things that put shame on you.
I use two 'common' passwords and another two other passwords are for school use only. Usually the two common passwords are just an addition of letters/alphabets from the simplier one ^_^
It seems we almost use the same philosophy all over the world: the same dummy username/password for forums or websites, different and maybe difficult usernames/passwords for serious stuff (bank account, workstation, etc) :D
well you can see our passwords if you decrypt a specific one... I use similar name and pw most of the time but everything important like online bank account and paypal is different of course
usually the cookies will save my login and password so i don't have to login all the time. if there's a need for login, i'll usually use a common password. ya i know it's dangerous but my password is pretty hard to guess. no one will ever know i'm using "ilovebardpitt". ^^;
i use various same usernames and passwords for diferents reasons, like in a forums, blogs, online games. but for account whit money reason i use various diferent combinations.
I had the same problem some time ago and started searching for a solution. I found that the best thing is to do is use a password manager to keep track of all of the passwords. I currently use KeePass and all of my passwords are unique, expires regularly and looks like this: c_1oARiWP9/*Q'n5#rEd KeePass stores the passwords in an AES 256 bit encrypted database and can also handle additional fields such as a URL, comment, expiry date or you can attach a file. One really nice feature is that the database is cross-platform, be it win, Linux, OS X or j2me on your mobile phone. So far I have more than 130 entries in mine for work alone. http://keepass.info http://www.keepassx.org PS. If anybody wonders why I have so many passwords it's partly because I am the Senior Software & Systems developer and have to keep track of every password used by every application on every system.
voted hardly since I either have my password saved in an encrypted file or I just plain remembers it. the only time I forget my password is when I don't use the login for a long time.
I use the same username but different passwords on all the sites I visit. No trouble memorizing them. :P
I use something like 10 differents words and make pairs of them when i need a new password. The better way I found to don't forget is to writte them (site/username/password)on a paper sheet hided in my room
i make do with a couple, but it's a pain to remember them all at once....
I use Passpack. Secure and easy way to store all your passwords online (I can reach them from any web browser) and with a one-button login so I don't have to type the passwords. This means I can use different, at least 30 character long passwords on all sites. To me it feels safe and recommend it. :)
i just have the same passwords for everything since nothing is important.
I only use two, two sets of usernames and passwords to tell the truth, but I mix 'em a bit so it's the same numbers and letters in different orders. I don't really have anything that needs to be all that secure yet.
Well, I used to have an app that kept all my passwords, but i ditched it. Decided to use the same password for forums, community websites, etc. and then use a really complicated one for stuff like windows login, and other really important passwords. Dont care if someone has like my DC password, cause all they will be able to access is my social sites, etc.
I have a few different passwords I randomly use. So if it's not one of the five or so passwords I use, I have no clue what it is...
sometimes, only a website that I'm not going often
I save my passwords in a text file then occasionally make the effort to write them down on paper just to lose those ^^;
Yes, holding your passwords safe and secure but in an easy place to find for yourself is not a simple task.
Well I use 4 different username and pw combination and my pw are at least 8 characters with alphanumeric combos involved. Not too worried I guess, if someone finds out, worst case scenario they gain access to 1/4th of my shit, you know unless they were stalking my ass and found all 4.
I use about 15 passwords and combinations thereof, depending on the type of website. Sometimes I end up forgetting them since Firefox just remembers it for me.
I only have a hand full of passwords. Certain ones for critical info like bank accounts and ones for things that don't matter like forums and such.
I use different password n user name for all logins. Do have a writen down kept some where safe. Dont keep a digital one. Dont use brower to remember it for me also. Prefer to punch it in everytime so I will remember it.
I guess thats one thing I like about the "Password Safe" in the blackberry! Store all user name and passwords and refer to them anytime, just don't forget the password to the Password safe LOL
I have about 3 different password combos, which are usually slightly altered when I register somewhere new. When I use a totally different password I just write it on a little sticky note, which I end up losing in less than a day.
Considering the ridiculous number of things I have signed up for on the Internet, keeping the same username/password combination is the only way I can keep up. Seriously, I would lose my head if it weren't so attached to my neck.
I use Mozilla's SeaMonkey suite, and it usually remembers the passwords for me. There are a few times where I have to re-enter things (Like when I run CCleaner and forget to turn off the "Clear temporary password files" tick for my browsers. Then not only do I have to log back in, but I have to remember the password!) Most of the passwords I forget are the ones I rarely use (My password for Cardinal Health's job site, for example) and it is a pain to have to dig them out. As for where I get my passwords from? BattleMech lists. With all those production codes, you can get a lot of passwords.
I nearly always use the same password, but hardly ever the same username. More often I forget my username for a site that way. ^^ Which is worse I think.
Ive only forgot one password this year and it was the worst one to forget, my windows login password... i had just changed it then went to sleep but i got lucky and was able to system restore to reset it to the previous password. i haven't forgotten any website passwords or such yet :)
There have been a few times where I've forgotten my password completely and had to make new accounts. In terms of password security I have one of the best methods and encryption techniques. Write it on the back of a receipt and put it in an empty new wallet that I store somewhere in a drawer. It's hacker proof.
I categorize my password based on how secure it should be and what/which it is used for. All passwords within the same category can have the same password so for low risk usage, like forums that I rarely visit, I can just put the same passwords for all of them while for important stuff , I set each of them differently using combination that's easy to remember for me.
I realy should do that ause my hotmail acount is hacked 5 times and we have no WEP key on ....
I just realised when my meassge dosent post somtimes is cause i write it and clcik post comment......... : )
It continually surprises me the number of people I have to support who want to use 1234 or some name as their password. They don't care if the account gets hacked until I explain what spammers can do with that access. Then most whine about having to remember a new slightly more complicated password.
I forget passwords quite often because there are sites that I don't frequent nor do I care to memorize it because it's not important. I do have totally different passwords for all my accounts though which adds to the forgetfulness and I get confused between one password and the other ^^;. Heck, I don't even remember my password for dc.com because I'm always logged in! XD
Not all my password is the same. I have 2 - 3 different types of passwords, different Usernames too. ^^ I'm pretty safe so far.
I always use the same passwords for those sites you have to register to get 'access' to something on the site. Then I'll probably never ever return to it ever again. but for anything i use regularly i use different passwords.
i made a response to this blogpost about what you can do danny http://swredesho.blogspot.com/2008/12/password-usage.html
I got a list of passwords and usernames in my wallet
Yea for random forums and places that require you to register to post such as DC I use a similar if not same P/Ws. My user name varies But for more sensitive places, like email accounts, banks, game accounts, etc I use more sophisticated ones just to be safe.
I use different passwords for different things. eg password for emails, password for forums, password for accounts etc. and then I change them regularly.
it is a little on pwd discipline. changing passsword and maintaining a strong combination is very important, especially to those important web applications (e.g internet banking)
I use Clipperz (online/offline webpage) that uses Javascript to encrypt/decrypt my passwords. But sometimes, I do neglect to open that page to generate a password. But every now a then I change the passwords to a proper one.
I sometimes reuse passwords, but only for relatively unimportant sites. I also mix and match different passwords and usernames. I've been thinking of doing what Danny said and in order to remember passwords make a random crossword puzzle - that way, I'll remember the first letter, orientation and length of a password for a site, rather than the password itself.
I don't even try to remember them, since I tend to use long, randomized alphanumeric sequences. I have a special encrypted database to keep track of them all, and their are hundreds, no two alike. Now, the password to *that*.... I remember. (^ω^)
I have several different levels for my passwords. 1) The same Name/pw combo for any website/program etc that is of no importance or damage if stolen. 2) A different set of name/pw combo that would be slightly problematic if stolen. 3) Highly problematic if stolen (Identity theft / bank account etc.)
Danny's gonna hack into my account and post articles regarding subpar Gundam builds :[ Oh, wait. I already post subpar Gundam builds o_o. I lied, I'm generally proud of my work. My password tends to be different for each site. For example, if it were Amazon, it'd be "amazon09823uhs" or something. Or, here at DC, "choochoo234h07". Except for not that complicated o_o. Easier to keep track of when using different passwords, but a bit harder to remember when I haven't logged at a site in awhile.
Uh, for the past two years or so I've been using the same password and user combo. XD;; Should probably think up a brand new password. Though once in awhile I do use some older passwords I use to have.
I tend to forgot my password, so my way on not forgetting my password is that in every mail I have, there is a notepad and putting up my password only, of course I'm not doing it outside or any computer-sharing computers.
Sometimes it's not the matter of the password, it's the matter of the username!
The only times I forget about username/passwords is when I don't use that site/service often. I use different passwords for important things.
I have a few passwords, and I have all them in a list just in case I forget one.
i only remember my gmail nd facebook passwords nd leave the rest to firefox
sometimes i forget >___< but i have a personalized Firefox that only I USE that saed every password of mine...I'd be dead if someone gets a hold o fit ehh i should change it...can't we put a password to access a web browser though?