Over the years, few things on the Internet have caused more security, or more stress, than the password. So many to remember. So many guidelines. But do these things do more harm or good?
These days, the majority of passwords will make you choose at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and one digit. Most have to be at least eight digits/letters long. Some will make you change your password every 30 days. Some people use software like Lastpass.com to manage and control their passwords. And then there are the life questions: Who was your first teacher? What street did you grow up on? What was your first car? What’s your mother’s maiden name?
Do these make us safer? I and many others think they do. I can tell you one thing not to do: give all your accounts the same password. I read one article where one guy had his life ruined when doing that. Many years ago, strange things were coming to my email. This was my first experience of being hacked, and I was advised to change my password immediately. There were no more hacks after that. So to avoid confusion and headache, I would advise a password management website like Last Pass to help you manage your accounts. Do all these password policies keep you safe or are they just a royal pain?