Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:8139 comp.misc:2781 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!fluke!inc From: inc@tc.fluke.COM (Gary Benson) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.misc Subject: Re: Password choices Keywords: NCSC password security unix Message-ID: <4396@fluke.COM> Date: 12 Jul 88 00:09:22 GMT References: <1339@daisy.UUCP> <377@mfgfoc.UUCP> <1597@uop.edu> <179@chip.UUCP> Sender: news@tc.fluke.COM Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA Lines: 29 Well, I got all security conscious reading about passwords, decided that I'd better change mine. In doing so, however, it occurred to me that one aspect of this discussion hardly ever gets mentioned: how to REMEMBER what you've changed it to. Herewith a few ideas to start things off: 1. Don't change your password on a Friday unless you write it down and put it in that secret compartment in your wallet. 2. If you write it down as a reminder, encode it somehow. For example, if you choose the first letter of the words making up a sentence, write a permutation of the sentence. Here's what I mean: say your password is TitdwtLhm (This is the day which the Lord hath made), you could put on your "TODO" list, "Remind Rev. Ike about psalm 37". 3. Use the same "style" of password. For example, you might use biblical references one month, David Letterman quotes for a while, names of trees, streets in New York City, parts of a flower, and so on. Any other ideas about how to remember what you changed to? I seem always to break my first rule and change it on a Friday. Monday morning comes and I'm all set to login, and BANG - mental block because I never write it down. -- Gary Benson -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-inc@tc.fluke.com_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Publication Services Ensign Benson, Space Cadet, Digital Circus, Sector R John Fluke Mfg. Co. Inc. _-_-_-_{uw-beaver, sun,microsoft}!fluke!inc-_-_-_-_-