Chapter 6

Ten Things You Should Never Do with Your Password

images

In This Chapter

  • Avoiding common password mistakes
  • Keeping your passwords secure
  • Ensuring your online information remains safe

images

Everybody's password (or PIN or passphrase or whatever you use) is different, or else there wouldn't be any reason to use them. That said, there are some common pitfalls that anybody with passwords should avoid, and this chapter lists the most common (and the most troublesome). Keep these scenarios in mind as you navigate the Internet, and don't let yourself be an easy target!

Write Your Password on Your Keyboard

Anybody walking by your computer could get access at a glance if you write down your password on or under your keyboard. Step away for a quick second for some coffee, and that's all it takes. That's also all it takes for somebody to steal the computer altogether, but why make it easier for your thieves by giving them the password as well?

Use the Same Password over Multiple Sites

After a thief has access to your e-mail password, for example, that same password could get them access to a whole host of other sites, most of which are probably identified by the messages those sites send to your e-mail account. Using separate passwords for each site (or at least your most important sites, like ...

Get Passwords & Internet Addresses Journal For Dummies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.