Nels’ Top 1 Lifehacker Tip

Nels — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:54:01 +0000

No, that’s not a typo. This tip has seriously saved me hours since I started using it.

You don’t need to remember 100 passwords if you have 1 rule set for generating them. One way to generate unique passwords is to choose a base password and then apply a rule that mashes in some form of the service name with it. For example, … [choose] your initials and a favorite number plus the first 3 letters of a service name. In that case, my password for Amazon would be GMLT10AMA and for Lifehacker.com GMLT10LIF. (Include obscure middle initials – like your mother’s maiden name or a childhood nickname – that not many people know about for extra security.)

I feel I can safely tell you that I have successfully implemented this system because I doubt that anyone will be able to come up with my base password. Not even my wife, who knows all my “traditional” passwords. And even then, I’m not using the first three letters of the service name, but something that is not as obvious but equally easy to remember if you’re me and need to type in my passwords.

Yes, if someone does figure out your base password, and your follow up “hash”, then they can break into all your accounts. This is why, for important stuff like some banks, mortgage, and email, I still use different passwords. But it’s pretty easy to remember a few passwords for the most important sites when you don’t have to clutter your brain with passwords for the sites that won’t affect your credit or reputation if someone gets access to them.

I am about 99.9% certain that the risk/reward benefit is in my favor here. I used to store passwords with user names and site names in a password-protected Excel spreadsheet. Super Secure! .. {wait for it} … NOT! Not only do I gain security of not having that sitting on my hard drive, but I also save time by not having to open it up and type in the password for the spreadsheet just to get access to a one of the millions of passwords for sites that I only visit infrequently.

Nels Wadycki » Passwords

Nels’ Top 1 Lifehacker Tip

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