maxdesk (Uranus's conflicted copy 2011-05-20)


I forgot my password. Ever had that dilemma? Password, letmein, 12345678, and qwerty are some of the most popular passwords. Of course for that reason, you should never use them. I realize that it’s challenging to keep track of all of your passwords, (refer to my evernote article) especially with requirements like: 8-character minimums, upper and lower case, and Th3 Funky Ch@r@ct3rs. Get ready for 12-character minimum passwords, Coming Soon! Here is my password tip. What if you only had to remember 5 passwords? It’s a lot better than the pages of passwords some of my clients have. The secret to remembering 5 passwords is all about security levels. Password rules: 8 characters minimum, at least 1 Uppercase letter, and 1 or more Funky Ch@r@ct3r$. The password security levels should be as follows: Password Level #1: Ultra secure, used for financial & banking. Password Level #2: A business password. Used within your professional setting for spreadsheets, Word Docs, eMail, etc. Password Level #3: Home password used for Social Media & eMail, etc. Password Level #4: Family password used by immediate family members. Password Level #5: WiFi home share password, a friendly password to give friends and family members. If you create 5 passwords using this system, you shouldn’t need a list. Also, try to come up with a word that is personal to you when creating your password. For example, let’s take your first pet’s name, assuming it’s Samson. Although Samson is only 6 characters, you can add the year your pet was born, your favorite number, etc. You can even add special characters. Using these password security strategies, Samson might become: S@m$*n1999, where 1999 is his birth year. Or, you could make it $ams*n!(((, etc. You get the idea. If not, email me at info@wilsonalvarez.com, and I’ll suggest some password strategies to use. Since this topic concerns Internet security, please note my serious yet simple disclaimer: I am not responsible for “ANYTHING”. Note that the word anything is in quotes, caps, bold, & underline. Smile, and happy computing!