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Can I Guess Your Password?
We all know that it's dangerous to use the same password for more than one program. If you sign up for a program run by someone of low moral fibre, what is to stop them running through various programs with your username and password to see what they can access? But of course remembering all the different passwords can be a headache. And writing them down somewhere isn't a great deal safer than using the same password again and again. You can buy software that stores the passwords for you, but do you really want to pay money for another piece of software that performs a solitary function? Try this simple, two-step, technique that lets you generate an infinite number of passwords, without having to remember any of them. Step One: Choose a 4-6 letter word or number sequence that you can remember easily. Needless to say, don't reveal this to anyone. For the purpose of this demonstration, I'll choose the word "cash" Step Two: Apply this secret word or number sequence to the name of the program you are setting up the password for. To accomplish this, invent a couple of easy to remember rules. Rule 1: Decide which part of the program name you are going to use. It could be the whole name, the first 6 letters of the name, the last 8 letters of the name. It's totally up to you, be as creative as you like. eg - For the program TrafficSwarm, I might choose the first 8 letters of the name. This give me: "traffics" Rule 2: Take the portion of the program name you have selected and merge it with your secret word or number sequence to create a unique password. Again, be as creative as you can with this rule. You could replace every second letter, every third letter, every vowel or every consonant. eg - If I replace every second letter of "traffics" with my secret word "cash", I get " t c a a f s c h " or - If I replace every vowel of "traffics" with my secret word "cash", I get " t r c f f a c s ". The "s" and the "h" are not used as "traffics" has only two vowels, but some words will use all four letters of "cash". Some words might have more than four vowels, in which case just start back at the beginning with "c" and "a" and so on? You don't have to worry about making your rules overly complex. Even the best code-breakers would need to see several of your passwords before they could start to guess what you rules are. As long as you keep your rules safe and sound, your password is secure. But the real beauty of this system, is that you don't have to remember the passwords you create. You ONLY have to remember the rules. When you log into the program the next time, just apply your rules to the program name, and you can work out what password you generated. Once you have been using the rules for a while, you'll generate the password in your head, without even having to pause. Don't worry if it seems a little complicated at first. Read this article through a couple more times and then try this technique with just a couple of programs. Once you are happy with it, all that's left to do is to start working your way through existing programs and update your passwords. It's time consuming, but for peace of mind you'll be glad you did. David Congreave is owner of The Nettle Ezine, the newsletter for the home business -- online. David lives in Leeds, in the United Kingdom, with his wife Leanne.
MORE RESOURCES: Hong Kongās national security laws ānot major concern for arbitration communityā South China Morning Post UCLA police chief, accused of security lapses before mob attack, defends his actions Los Angeles Times Former security guard Gregory Livingston found guilty of murdering man at Kroger gas station over loud music Action News 5 Security guard shoots, kills man outside southwest Atlanta strip club, police say Atlanta News First Laredo UISD receives 100% safety and security audits from TEA Laredo Morning Times Dave Chappelle's attacker sues Hollywood Bowl, security 2 years after he stormed stage: report New York Post Not Every Security Clearance Investigation is the Same ClearanceJobs Former security guard found guilty of killing man over loud music WREG NewsChannel 3 Accelerating Innovation: Introducing SocX, SecureIQLab's AI-Powered Cloud Security Validation Platform PR Newswire College graduations begin amid heightened security following protests KTIV Siouxland's News Channel The U.S.-Japan Alliance Council on Foreign Relations Netherlands prepares for World War II remembrance amid Gaza security fears The Jerusalem Post Ripple effect: Local agencies ramp up security after state, national cyberattacks on water supplies Altoona Mirror Man arrested for attacking hospital security guard, nurse Habersham County deputies say Yahoo! Voices Verdict found after deadly 2021 Kroger fuel center shooting WATN - Local 24 NJ religious sites getting $4.8M for security, Gottheimer says NorthJersey.com Dave Chappelle attacker suing Hollywood Bowl security for negligence New York Daily News Dazz Unveils AI-Powered Automated Remediation for Application Security Posture Management Dark Reading Cabana Live shooting: Victim sues venue, security, others WESH 2 Orlando After canceling commencement, USC will host event at L.A. Coliseum, rolls out new campus security Los Angeles Times The Mystery Of EgyptAir's Inflight Security Officers... One Mile at a Time College campuses tighten security amidst graduation ceremonies Abccolumbia.com NSA Highlights Mitigations against North Korean Actor Email Policy Exploitation National Security Agency Graduations kick off at UConn with extra security measures in place Eyewitness News 3 Microsoft will base part of senior exec comp on security, add deputy CISOs to product groups GeekWire Security guard gets life in prison for killing unarmed man at East Memphis Kroger gas station WATN - Local 24 Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Amplix, celebrate reaching $1 million milestone in food security grants The Sun Chronicle Chaotic lake getting fence and security Wink News The Nordics in NATO: Women, Peace and Security and Regional Defense Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Belgiumās Aikido lands $17M Series A for its āno BSā security platform aimed at developers TechCrunch Sweden āOn Terror Level Fourā As Security Is Tightened A Week Before Eurovision Song Contest Deadline Graduations kick off at UConn with extra security measures in place Eyewitness News 3 Private security worker raises concerns over handling of UCLA encampment violence FOX 11 Los Angeles Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the UN Security Council Stakeout on the Situation in Sudan United States Mission to the United Nations 174 Nebraska schools get $10 million to upgrade security Lincoln Journal Star Thune wants cooperation for cyber security plan KELOLAND.com Iranian Security Forces Shoot Teenage Border Porter Ų§ŪŲ±Ų§Ł Ų§ŪŁŲŖŲ±ŁŲ“ŁŲ§Ł Bodega owners, advocates address spike in armed bodega robberies, call for ramped-up security measures News 12 Bronx Before mob attack, UCLA police chief was ordered to create security plan but didn't, sources say Yahoo! Voices Security footage released from bible trailer fire | Lebanon | lebanondemocrat.com - Lebanon Democrat Pillen deploys Nebraska National Guard to assist with storm recovery, security ā¢ Nebraska Examiner Nebraska Examiner |
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