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Safe - Secure Passwords Protect Priceless Data!
It doesn't matter whether you are signing up for a free Email service, an affiliate program, a new hosting company or becoming part of an online program (from banking to free coupons) you are, more than likely, going to be asked for a User Name and Password. With all the current hacker problems related to identity theft, virus activities and concerns with Big Brotheritis, your choice of those two items could be critical.
Do you use the same User Name and password for everything? It sure makes your life easier. It also can make the "enemies" life much simpler too. You stand to lose much (maybe everything) if access to your critical data falls into the wrong hands. Listed below are some steps that will help you be safer.
NEVER allow ANY online service or onboard program to store your user IDs and Passwords. NEVER. No matter how safe and secure they claim to be, they have, can be, and will be breached. Yes, those little pop-up helps from Netscape and IE (Internet Explorer) seem to make surfing quicker, easier and simpler, they also invite the next generation of worm or trojan to have a field day with your "secure" information. While the technology exists to copy your information as it is typed on the keyboard, why store it for any sniffer program to harvest at a future time. You must also hope that the opposite end (web site) of the "network" is doing their level best to secure the data you transmit to them.
Never! Got that? Never, use a User Name, Password combination more than once. Change the password at least every month and if allowed change your user name every six months. How is it possible to remember all of this? It isn't! Keep a small unobtrusive and UNMARKED logbook of these combinations. Don't use your PDA. Does, dead batteries, lost (left on top of the pay phone in the airport) and synched to your PC, tell you why. As a precaution keep a duplicate book. Destroy the old or unused combinations as you change them and SHRED the old pages. No matter how hard you try your user name / password combinations will form a pattern over a long enough time. Try to work very hard at not allowing that pattern to creep into your choices.
Never choose User Name / Password combinations from relational information. Don't use family names, street names, pet names, maiden names or favorite date combinations to form your user name or password. Don't use names or terms from personal interests, vocations, avocations or hobbies.
How To Create A Good (safe) User Name / Password
The secret is simple, good old fashion hard work! First use a "word" that is as long as the service will allow. Never make it shorter than eight characters and ten to twelve will usually be enough. Always use a combination of alpha (letters) and numeric (numbers) characters. Passwords should be case sensitive. That allows a greater numeric encryption factor.
Never base the password on a dictionary word. If allowed scramble both the User Name and Password. In some cases the user name is predetermined or made up of the account name or an email address. If you must use your email address for the User Name try to avoid using a free email service for that function. It is NEVER a good idea to use your work email address for any personal business or leisure time accounts. If you must use your email address it means that the password becomes your only line of defense.
To create the User Name or Password start with (2) two unrelated words. For an example use "gate" and "plan" or "tracks" and "fiber". Combine the words. Look at the combination - "gateplan" - "tracksfiber". Make sure there is NOT a word created or an idea trigger. If the new "word" passes this test, begin to alter the word. Replace (1) one or more letters with a numeric character. The result could look something like this - "gat3p7an" or "tr4ck5fibe9". Look at the new "word" and see if the changes create a new easy word, though it isn't likely. The last step is to, at "RANDOM", capitalize a few alpha characters. The end result could be; "gAt3P7an" or "tr4CK5fibe9".
If the service you are joining allows (many don't) the use of symbols these can add to the security. With symbols the new word(s) take on a different look; "gAt3P%an" or "tr4CK5f^be9". If this trick is allowed it is usually indicated in the sign-up instructions. A correctly configured sign-up script should reject the input of any User Name or Password that the system will reject later.
Take your two new sign-up words and enter them in the form of the new service. If the next time (after a full shut down) you return to that site, you find your User Name waiting for you, it means the service has stored that information, on your hard drive, in a "cookie". Ask if you can turn off that feature. Then purge (delete) your cookies. If you return and find both your User Name and Password stored in a cookie (ie. you don't have to enter data to logon) find out if that feature can be turned OFF. Delete your cookies. If they can't (won't) turn off the autologon cookie feature consider living without that online service!
Lastly, change the User Name and/or Password as often as practical or allowed. At least change your password monthly. NEVER change to the "new" word in a predictable way. Never, place the capitalization or numeric values in the same position or pattern. Never write the new words down on a suicide note (loose scrap of paper). Put them in your "notebook" and shred the page that the old password was on.
Sound like way too much work? An identity theft can take from 6 months to two years and cost thousands of dollars to recover from. Don't make the hackers success any eaiser! A backdoor program can cause the loss of ALL data (letters, email, financial records, projects, graphics, photos, video, web sites and anything else) stored on your computer. If you aren't running the best most up-to-date (updated daily) Anti-virus program used with a HARDWARE firewall you are asking for additional trouble.
P.S. even if you follow all these precautions, it is NOT a guarantee that you are protected and the discussed disasters won't happen. But, you are better protected than 98% of web surfers. Sleep well and happy surfing!
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