{"id":27460,"date":"2018-01-11T13:14:56","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T18:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/?p=27460"},"modified":"2018-01-11T10:15:44","modified_gmt":"2018-01-11T15:15:44","slug":"five-things-you-should-never-do-with-passwords-and-three-you-should","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/five-things-you-should-never-do-with-passwords-and-three-you-should\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Things You Should Never Do with Passwords (and Three You Should)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Passwords are the bane of our modern existence. Nearly anything you want to do, it seems, calls for a password. As the Internet\u2019s reach extends beyond computers and into phones, TVs, appliances, and even toys, we have to enter passwords with increasing frequency and in ever more annoying ways.<\/p>\n

To make dealing with passwords easier and more secure, everyone should use a password manager like 1Password<\/a> or LastPass<\/a>. Such apps generate random long passwords like kD*SSDcCl7^6FN*F, store those passwords securely, and automatically enter them for you when you need to log in to a Web site. They are essential in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll still need a few passwords you can remember and type manually\u2014for instance, the master password for your password manager and your Apple ID password. Make sure those passwords are at least 12 characters, and we recommend going to at least 16 characters.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure of the best way to create a strong password, try taking the first letter of each word in a sentence you can remember, and also change a few words to digits. Then \u201cNow is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party!<\/i>\u201d becomes a password along the lines of\u00a0Nitt4agm2c2ta0tp!<\/code>. So that no eavesdroppers learn your password, avoid saying your sentence out loud whenever you enter it! Or, combine four or five unrelated dictionary words, like\u00a0correct-horse-battery-staple<\/a><\/code>, that add up to at least 28 characters. (Don\u2019t use the examples in this paragraph!)<\/p>\n

When possible, take advantage of two-factor authentication on sites like Apple, Google, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Accounts protected by two-factor authentication essentially require that you enter a second, time-expiring password as part of the login process. You\u2019ll get that second password via text message, authenticator app, or other notification method when you log in.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But what we really want to talk about today is what you should not<\/b> do with passwords. Follow these tips to avoid making mistakes that can undermine even the security provided by a password manager.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t use the same password twice. This is key, because if the bad guys get your password\u2014no matter how strong\u2014for one site, they\u2019ll try it on other sites.<\/li>\n
  2. Don\u2019t share passwords with anyone you don\u2019t trust completely. That\u2019s especially true of passwords to accounts that contain sensitive information or that can be used to impersonate you, like email and social media. However, sometimes you have to share a password, such as to a club blog with multiple authors. In that case\u2026<\/li>\n
  3. Don\u2019t send passwords to shared sites via email or text message. If someone hacks into your recipient\u2019s email or steals their phone, the password could be compromised. Instead, use a site like One-Time Secret<\/a> to share a link that shows the password only once, after which the recipient should put the password into their password manager.<\/li>\n
  4. Don\u2019t write your passwords on sticky notes. Yeah, it\u2019s a clich\u00e9, but people still do it. Similarly, don\u2019t put all your passwords in a text file on your computer. That\u2019s what password managers are for\u2014if someone steals your computer, they can\u2019t break into your password manager, whereas they could open that text file easily.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t change passwords regularly if you don\u2019t have to. As long as every site has a strong, unique password, changing a password is a waste of time, especially if doing so makes you write down the password or communicate it insecurely. If you do have to update a password regularly, a password manager makes the task much easier.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We realize that it\u2019s tempting to take the easy road and share a password with a friend via email or write a particularly gnarly one on a sticky note. But today\u2019s easy road leads directly to identity theft and is paved with insecure password habits. You might think no one would pay attention to little old you, but times have changed, and organized crime is interested in any Internet account that can be cracked.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Social Media:<\/strong> Want to avoid online identity theft? Use a password manager, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication. But there are also some insecure password habits that can undermine your security\u2014read on to learn what NOT to do.<\/p>\n

    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Passwords are the bane of our modern existence. Nearly anything you want to do, it seems, calls for a password. As the Internet\u2019s reach extends beyond computers and into phones, TVs, appliances, and even toys, we have to enter passwords with increasing frequency and in ever more annoying ways. To make dealing with passwords easier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[331,157,193,66,39,71,332,333,123,196,124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1password","category-apple-pros","category-apros-archive","category-article","category-blog","category-explainer","category-lastpass","category-password-manager","category-passwords","category-restricted-content","category-security"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Password-Rules-manager-icons.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-78U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26166,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/understanding-two-step-verification\/","url_meta":{"origin":27460,"position":0},"title":"Understanding Two-Step Verification","author":"computeradv","date":"December 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For your most important accounts, things like email, social media, cloud services, and banking, you should go beyond a password and protect them with two-step verification. Learn more on our blog.","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"What is Two-Step Verification?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2SV-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2SV-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2SV-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2SV-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2SV-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33385,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/how-to-take-the-annoyance-out-of-your-key-passwords-and-passcodes\/","url_meta":{"origin":27460,"position":1},"title":"How to Take the Annoyance Out of Your Key Passwords and Passcodes","author":"computeradv","date":"August 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Password managers are essential, but you must still remember and enter some passcodes and passwords. 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