Safe Passwords In A Dangerous World

Written by Susan on January 29th, 2009

Well, I seem to be in a “protect yourself” state of mind these days – from avoiding plagiarism to testing your site in multiple web browsers. But hey, there’s no question it’s dangerous online. If you’re anything like me, most of your life is probably embedded in the web. Gift buying, food ordering, bill paying. You might not care if someone discovers you prefer dark chocolate over milk, but imagine how you’d react if they found your bank routing number and helped themselves to a handful of your hard earned savings? Face it – you need a safety net while surfing the ‘net.

So yeah, this post is all about defending those passwords. Lemme give you some tips on just how to do that.

Safe passwords start with a safe PC. Don’t store all of your login and password information in just one place on your computer. You need to make sure your precious info is protected behind a good firewall. If you are using Windows XP or Vista, you can use the Windows Firewall, or you can go check out Symantec (Norton), Kaspersky or McAfee. There are other, less expensive programs available too – do a cost comparison and see what suits your needs. There are even some free services out there, like Zone Alarm or Online Armor. If cost is a real issue, they’re an option. But how important to you is your medical and financial information? Just be sure of what you’re getting.

Spend any time at the library? If you ever use computers in public places, you need to be aware that when you log in to certain sites using a password, that information can be stored on a temporary file on that computer’s hard drive. The next person to sit down at that computer can easily retrieve this information and do you some damage, if they’re so inclined.

It shouldn’t have to be said, but if you receive an email asking you for personal information, don’t respond to it! A reputable company will almost certainly identify you by name if they are asking you for this kind of information. And they will never, ever ask you for your PIN code. If you are suspicious about an email, better you should go to the site itself – not by clicking on any links in the email, but via a fresh browser window – and check it out for yourself.

Change your passwords often.  I know, I know…I don’t do this either. But it’s worth keeping in mind, at least on your most important sites, as it will minimize how much damage can be done should someone unscrupulous guess or hack into your passwords.

You’ve probably encountered sites that require you to answer a security question – which you yourself set up initially – in the event that you’ve forgotten your password. You may be limited as to the nature of the security questions, but do your best to pick one that isn’t going to be easily researchable. Mother’s maiden name, city of birth are two common questions that are probably not the best ones to choose, as they are matters of public record. Stick with ones like the make of your first car, where you went on your first date – things only you know that can’t be readily discovered by others.

Websites that request your password should be encrypted with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the state-of-the-art for providing security and data integrity in online communications. You can ensure that the page you’re on is so encrypted by looking at the bottom of your browser screen. If you see a padlock symbol, you’re ok.

Finally, one of the most important and least regarded methods for keeping your passwords safe is simply choosing strong passwords. Determined hackers just point and laugh at people who use stuff like their birthday, their name, or basically any English word. If you know Polish, maybe that would help – but I’m betting there are Polish hackers out there somewhere. So make it hard for them. Use at least 8+ characters, and mix it up a little. Include upper and lower case letters, toss in a few numbers and special characters. Basically make it look like a big long comic book swear word.

And must I point out that it’s never a good idea to write your passwords on a sticky note and post it on the side of your monitor?

Happy blogging!