Password security

I have a strong background in computers, stretching back to basically when personal computers came onto the market. I learned to program with the Apple 2+ and have continued my own education ever since. What's fascinating to me is how we have treated passwords in the history of computers. I know that at the places I've worked that they typically write important passwords on a piece of paper and then stick it underneath their top drawer (easy to find, and not easily lost). Also, a little tidbit that probably is still true, is that the most common password is the word, "password."

Some programs force you to include upper and lowercase characters, some add special symbols, and won't let you reuse an old one. But, it's human nature to make things simple, and so people generally create a "secure" password, and then increment a number at the end of it. Kinda takes the security right out of it. But, let's face it, we have far too many things to remember as it is, and adding a shopping cart full of new ones makes the chore almost impossible.

However you go about it, there's lots of good reasons for having a fairly secure password. Putting upper and lower case is a basic precaution, but adding numbers/symbols/extras really makes it difficult to crack them easily (and if hackers can't do it easily they'll likely move along to easier picking). I've had to make an encrypted document file that stores all my usernames and passwords, because I just can't remember them all. It's a good idea to have it stored somewhere physically, because we all have bad days and can't remember things like passwords.

I mention all this because of the new fantastically nasty security flaw recently made public. It affects most any site that uses secure connections, and you'll want to change those passwords and get your stuff secured again. Believe me, the computer security circles have been shocked at the nastiness of this one and it should be taken seriously. Not enough to freak out over, but do take the extra step and change to a completely new and different password.

- M