MSE News: Customers can't keep track of passwords

talk2frank

Problem is even with a regular story used to make a password you will struggle when you get certain sites with preset password needs. (e.g. must be a certain number of characters long, no special characters, must have a CAPs, must have a number)

My solution (oddly?) is to keep it a regular length (6-8 figures) not use special characters and have a different one per site (but a clue in each site on how it works for your own code).

Sorry can't give much else on this without giving away my own password :beer:

davidgmmafan

"The council warns consumer should steer clear of using the same password, or even a variation of it, more than once, to restrict the damage if someone gets hold of it.

People are also advised to avoid birthdays, names and common words, and be creative. For example, string together words from a phrase or song lyric."


Lets not forget the thing that annoys me most. Different companies have different rules for passwords which leads to you leading some rubbish up to comply with their rules which you cannot remember (Verified by Visa is probably the thing I re-set the most).


The best system I saw was using another language, remember one guy who wrote his passwords down backwards and i Gaelic. Ok some people would know the language but not many I would imagine.


It is a bit of a nightmare, wonder if this figure includes work passwords which also have to be changed periodically (love the message saying something like CANNOT be one of your last ten passwords).

Wywth

The average person has 22 online accounts each and more than one in six have over 40 such accounts to keep track of.

I think we all know a few MSE users like this, don't we?

ChiefGrasscutter

There was someone on here asked to enter up their place of birth as one of the alternative security words required
They entered up LEEDS
Wherupon the system immediately came back with "sorry - must be 6 letters or more"........................

chocaholicmanc

[QUOTE=davidgmmafan;57931431(Verified_by_Visa_is_probably_the_thing_I_re-set_the_most).[/QUOTE]

Me too! It drives me bonkers. And as it won't let you use a variation of a previous password that just makes it worse...

I have no idea how many sites I have usernames and passwords for. I keep meaning to go through my emails and weed out the redundant ones but I never seem to get round to it.

oldagetraveller

Surely this is not MSE News but MSE stating the obvious?
Stating the obvious reminds me of a survey the water companies commissioned, at a cost of many thousands of £, to find out why most people weren't paying their bills.
The conclusion, after many months, was "they can't afford to pay them"!

lxpeanut

The whole password thing is stupid. I tend to have one password for unimportant things like forums and then things that have to be protected properly have their own more secure password. But then I have so many passwords at work you cant possibly remember them all.

fozmcfc

Passwords that annoy me are ones where you have to use 1 capital letter and 1 number at least and it must be 9 characters long.

Apple annoyed me by doing this, so I made one up that was derogatory towards them. Ok they aren't going to see it maybe, but it gave me a smile.

I don't mind using a variations to my passwords, but I normally like to replace one letter with a number or use one main password and put a number after it.

They say passwords should never be written down, but I don't think that it is that easy with the numerous passwords we need to use nowadays.

redbiro

Ryanair additionaly want you to fille in there scribbly letter capthca & dont forget to click the T&C box are you'll get sternly warned ;Michael mcintyre did a sktecht about it

Fella

people can't remember their passwords? no sh it sherlock. why not commission a report on what 2+2 equals you !!!!!!!g morons.