How many web sites, emails, and work accounts do you have that require a username and password? If you are like me I probably have hundreds. Every web site you go to now a days wants you to register for something. Here’s my system for keeping passwords safe.
On sites that just want a user name to log into for identification and or posting use I use the same username and password. They are all the same, so I don’t have a problem going from one forum to another.
My email accounts all have a different password and username, and I just memorize those. For shopping and financial sites I use one of two usernames and then have a password system so each site is different.
I keep track of passwords through Evernote now that you can encrypt and password protect your data. I use Evernote for keeping notes on everything, so it works easy for me. Anywhere you write down your passwords is not secure. You could lose the notebook you keep them in, or if they are in a digital format, if that devise is connected to the Internet then your data can be obtained by others. Nothing is totally secure, just find something that is encrypted.
So here is an easy system you use to memorize your passwords and have a different password for everything. First pick a unique, short password 4 or 5 letters long and 2 numbers that you won’t forget. In this system you can use partial names or birthdates, but to be more secure pick something weird. We’ll use “dummy” and “12” as our example.
To get around all the funny characters and capital letter issues on some sites, capitalize the first letter “Dummy” and hold the shift key on the second letter “1@” The password already looks kind of funny at “Dummy1@” Now to customize that for each site use the first 2 letters of the site you are on to create your password. So my Gmail password would be “gmDummy1@” and my Wells Fargo banking password would be “weDummy1@”
You could also do this with your usernames. Now you have nothing written down and a unique password and username for every web site. I’ve been slowly doing this and changing every password I have. It’s taking a long time. I had no idea how many log in sites I use on a normal basis.
Stay Safe,
Ben