Password Security

Internet Passwords and Security Questions

Security questions are part of the Internet along with passwords.  So what are the best methods to use when creating passwords and which questions that will give you the best protection from intruders, let’s take a look at some guidelines.

When asked to create a password on a website

• Use a password that has eight or more characters and uses special characters.  For example the password Breakfast01 can be Br3@kf@st_Ol.
• Don’t use the same password on all websites and don’t use variations.
• Don’t use birthdays or anniversary dates.
• Never give out your passwords to friends or family.
• Write your password down and store is a place where only you would know.

Here is a guide for picking a good security question.

• The answer should be easy to remember.
• Have thousands of possible answers.
• Do not use a question you would use on social media.
• Use simple one or two word answers.
• Never changes.

Here are some good security questions to choose,

What was the last name of your third grade teacher? – Teachers change over time and most schools have multiple teachers for each grade.

Where were you when you heard about 9/11?– This is a little morbid but you will never forget where you were.  Use a specific location; avoid locations like home, work, or school.

Who was your childhood hero? – A good question as long it’s not superman, mom/dad or brother/sister.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? – Only use if your answer is not police officer, doctor, firefighter, or other obvious answers.

Some security questions to avoid:

• What is your favorite food, color, etc. – These may change over time.
• What was the make and model of your first car?  – A lot of people can rattle off this information easily.
• Birthdays– They are easy to find online, even siblings and parents and social media send alerts to everyone when birthdays are approaching, plus there are only twelve months in a year.
• School name, location, etc. – Easy to find out the area a person grew up and there usually only so many schools in an area.
• First Job location, name, etc. – Same reasons apply for school name and location.

Please feel free to forward this information to others.  If you would like to learn more on this topic or would like to request an area of technology you are interested in, please contact me.