« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords  (Read 1840 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Baruch Menachem

  • In a handbasket, heading to a warm destination
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1019
  • Reputation: +37/-18
  • do the best you can with what you can
Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« on: September 17, 2008, 08:52:39 PM »
Apparently, Sarah's password on yahoo was something the guy took about 20 minutes figuring out, because it was easy.


My passwords are usually combinations of Japanese, Russian and L337.  I think this is a convincer that real passwords are really important.

The perp admits there was nothing interesting there, but pictures of the kids. :loser: 

Anyway, be careful out there.
Logged
An optimist sees the glass as half full, a pessimist sees the glass as half empty, an engineer sees that there is twice the glass required to contain the beer

My name is Obamandias, King of Kings, 
  Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Offline jendf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1789
  • Reputation: +307/-113
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2008, 08:57:00 PM »
Everything I've been reading says that he didn't get the actual password. What he got was the information to reset the password.

I have a Yahoo account and if I forgot my password, all I would have to do is answer some basic questions and they reset it.

Unfortunately, most of the answers to these questions can be tracked down with persistence (ex. mother's maiden name, zip code, birth city, etc.).

But, yeah, I think having a strong password is important too. I've gotten better about creating them as I learn about this stuff.
Logged

Offline Chris_

  • Little Lebowski Urban Achiever
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 46845
  • Reputation: +2028/-266
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2008, 08:57:55 PM »
Quote from: Baruch Menachem on September 17, 2008, 08:52:39 PM
Apparently, Sarah's password on yahoo was something the guy took about 20 minutes figuring out, because it was easy.


My passwords are usually combinations of Japanese, Russian and L337.  I think this is a convincer that real passwords are really important.

The perp admits there was nothing interesting there, but pictures of the kids. :loser: 

Anyway, be careful out there.

You gave away too much -- I am sending this from your Yahoo account.
Logged
If you want to worship an orange pile of garbage with a reckless disregard for everything, get on down to Arbys & try our loaded curly fries.

Offline DixieBelle

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12143
  • Reputation: +512/-49
  • Still looking for my pony.....
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2008, 09:05:50 PM »
yes, that's the troublesome part. I like strong passwords and challenge questions that you set although I don't have many accounts like that. Most are standard ones.
Logged
I can see November 2 from my house!!!

Spread my work ethic, not my wealth.

Forget change, bring back common sense.
-------------------------------------------------

No, my friends, there’s only one really progressive idea. And that is the idea of legally limiting the power of the government. That one genuinely liberal, genuinely progressive idea — the Why in 1776, the How in 1787 — is what needs to be conserved. We need to conserve that fundamentally liberal idea. That is why we are conservatives. --Bill Whittle

Offline Chris

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1476
  • Reputation: +522/-16
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2008, 09:15:05 PM »
I generally do the upper/lowercase letters/numbers thing.  Somebody posted a matrix of how long it would take to crack an alphanumeric password... I can't find the link, but I think an eight-digit pw was the minimum, with a mix of upper/lower and letters/numbers.

If I get stuck working on a helpdesk, one thing I recommend to people with long alphanumeric passwords is to put a number at the end.  If your job forces you to change your password every so often, increment the number on your password.  But, some people will still call you once a month and have you reset every single one of their accounts anyway because it's easier for them.

"Uh yeah, can you reset my Windows, Oracle, Novell, COWS, Outlook, and Pinnacle accounts?  Thanks."
« Last Edit: September 17, 2008, 09:16:46 PM by Chris »
Logged
This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

Offline MrsSmith

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5977
  • Reputation: +465/-54
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2008, 09:17:27 PM »
I once mentioned to a coworker that I like to use some name-birthday combo for my passwords.  I got an instant, "Oh, that's not very safe!"  I just laughed...with 7 kids, 4 grandkids, and date combos that may be month day, month year, year day, month day, etc., with name first, nickname first, name last, nickname last...even my own kids have never guessed any passwords, and they know all the names and dates.  
Logged
.
.

Antifa - the only fascists in America today.

Offline Chris

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1476
  • Reputation: +522/-16
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2008, 09:20:20 PM »
Quote from: MrsSmith on September 17, 2008, 09:17:27 PM
I once mentioned to a coworker that I like to use some name-birthday combo for my passwords.  I got an instant, "Oh, that's not very safe!"  I just laughed...with 7 kids, 4 grandkids, and date combos that may be month day, month year, year date, month date, etc., with name first, nickname first, name last, nickname last...even my own kids have never guessed any passwords, and they know all the names and dates.

I had an instructor that told his class the same story every semester.  One of his students used to complain three or four times a year because he couldn't remember his passwords.  He was using his kids names as passwords but he had 13 of them and couln't remember which names he used.

Turns out two of them were twins.  Problem solved.
Logged
This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

Offline LC EFA

  • Hickus Australianus
  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4527
  • Reputation: +414/-33
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2008, 05:09:40 AM »
I don't give places like yahoo any factual information ... makes it hard to use the "real" information, if they have it.

There's simple applications out there to generate strong passwords. If you can remember a 9 /10 digit phone number, or your SS number, you can remember a strong password.

I keep a password log in my safe should i forget for some passwords. I know this is considered bad practice by some, but if someone gets into that puppy my password log is the least of my concerns. I tend to using the email based "lost password" system for those accounts that aren't really important.
Logged

Offline DumbAss Tanker

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 28493
  • Reputation: +1707/-151
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2008, 08:46:33 AM »
It's much more sensible to just never put anything sensitive or incriminating in email in the first place.  Strong password or no, all that shit can be frozen and then retrieved with a subpoena, and all that requires is pissing someone off badly enough to find out who you really are and sue you (or prosecute you criminally, if you've really pissed off the wrong person).
Logged
Go and tell the Spartans, O traveler passing by
That here, obedient to their law, we lie.

Anything worth shooting once is worth shooting at least twice.

Offline Woody

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 214
  • Reputation: +27/-6
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2008, 11:27:01 AM »
Good point.  An email will have at least two copies, yours and theirs.  Then it will pass through a number of filters and servers on the way, some of which back up their data. 

As for Palin's email kerfuffle, I suspect that this will backfire on the hacker.  Everyone I've spoken to so far about this has been far more concerned about the privacy issue than any possible conflict of interest.  The moonbat battlecry "the end justifies the means" doesn't get much play outside of DU. 

Woody
Logged
Those who see their lives as spoiled and wasted crave equality and fraternity more than they do freedom. If they clamor for freedom, it is but freedom to establish equality and uniformity. The passion for equality is partly a passion for anonymity: to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority.
-Eric Hoffer, "The True Believer", 1951

Offline EastFacingNorth

  • Math Geek
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 250
  • Reputation: +32/-22
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2008, 01:24:18 PM »
Anyone here have any experience with biometric authentication devices for home use?  I had one some years ago - a fingerprint scanner - that integrated with Windows 2k / XP login and with IE6.  It allowed you to create ridiculously difficult passwords because rather than log in you'd just fingerprint-in and the device would submit your username/password for you.  Unfortunately the device wasn't compatible with Vista or newer browsers, so it's sitting in a bin somewhere.

It was really handy and if I could find one with current support I'd probably invest; does anyone know of one?
Logged
Taxation if and only if Representation.

The Founding Fathers only got it half right.

Offline LC EFA

  • Hickus Australianus
  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4527
  • Reputation: +414/-33
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2008, 06:04:56 AM »
Quote from: EastFacingNorth on September 21, 2008, 01:24:18 PM
Anyone here have any experience with biometric authentication devices for home use?  I had one some years ago - a fingerprint scanner - that integrated with Windows 2k / XP login and with IE6.  It allowed you to create ridiculously difficult passwords because rather than log in you'd just fingerprint-in and the device would submit your username/password for you.  Unfortunately the device wasn't compatible with Vista or newer browsers, so it's sitting in a bin somewhere.

It was really handy and if I could find one with current support I'd probably invest; does anyone know of one?

I've supported the toshiba laptops that have the fingerprint scanner...

Was a pain in the ass really, as the system was fairly sensitive to dust and finger grime, as well as being quite picky about the prints.

One had to be slow and careful when submitting a print to windows login else it would fail.

Most customers didn't use them, because it was easier to either have no password, or to use a simple windows password in lieu.
Logged

Offline SaintLouieWoman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2024
  • Reputation: +500/-6
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2008, 10:33:23 AM »
Quote from: DumbAss Tanker on September 18, 2008, 08:46:33 AM
It's much more sensible to just never put anything sensitive or incriminating in email in the first place.  Strong password or no, all that shit can be frozen and then retrieved with a subpoena, and all that requires is pissing someone off badly enough to find out who you really are and sue you (or prosecute you criminally, if you've really pissed off the wrong person).

You've got the key right there. It's equivalent to talking on a cell phone---you never know who might be listening (or looking) and it's so easy to trace.

I have one password for a work related account, that I vary when they require a monthly update by rotating numbers at the end of the alpha part of it. That way it's way easier to remember.
Logged

Offline Splashdown

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • Reputation: +475/-100
  • Out of 9 lives, I spent 7
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2008, 11:49:03 AM »
Quote from: DumbAss Tanker on September 18, 2008, 08:46:33 AM
It's much more sensible to just never put anything sensitive or incriminating in email in the first place.  Strong password or no, all that shit can be frozen and then retrieved with a subpoena, and all that requires is pissing someone off badly enough to find out who you really are and sue you (or prosecute you criminally, if you've really pissed off the wrong person).

Former Philly Mayor Frank Rizzo (RIP) used to say, "never write anything down; never throw anything away."
Logged
Let nothing trouble you,
Let nothing frighten you. 
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience attains all that it strives for.
He who has God lacks nothing:
God alone suffices.
--St. Theresa of Avila



"No crushed ice; no peas." -- Undies

Offline Thor

  • General Ne'er Do Well, Troublemaker & All Around Meanie!!
  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13103
  • Reputation: +362/-297
  • Native Texan & US Navy (ret)
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2008, 12:42:36 PM »
Part of my military duties required working with classified equipment. That equipment was normally stored in a safe. I always memorized the combinations vs writing them down, as writing them down was "verboten". As a result, I tend to use hexadecimal passwords or alpha-numeric. It kind of depends on what I'm doing. INFOSEC is important. I kind of wonder why Palin hasn't learned about INFOSEC or practices it, at least.
Logged
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."- IBID

I AM your General Ne'er Do Well, Troublemaker & All Around Meanie!!

"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated."-Thomas Jefferson

Offline JohnMatrix

  • admirer of Sir Edward Tylor
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 396
  • Reputation: +106/-3013
Re: Sarah Palin and the case for real passwords
« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2008, 04:18:17 PM »
just use a completely random string of letters and numbers as a password.
Logged
LadyLiberty does not like my mother because I speak Spanish to her in public.

yes snuggly bunny, i voted for RON PAUL.

Mr.Mann is obsessed with me.
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »