Passwords, we don’ need no stinkin’ pahswurds

Password security really is in our minds whether we want it to be or not. Or it should be. And when thinking about security, including password security, there is no real need to make it any harder than it is. Think back to the LinkedIn hack of June 6, 2012, and the immediate advice to change your LinkedIn password.

It was good advice.

Hopefully you took that advice to heart and actually changed your password in a timely manner.

But were you otherwise smart with your passwords? For instance, did you change your LinkedIn password to something that did not even look like your old LinkedIn password? If your old LinkedIn password was “LinkedBill”, is it now “LinkedBill1”? Well, sorry, but that really does not count as a change. So, while changing your password is good advice, it only helps if you pick a password that is genuinely different.

And, did you change any other passwords you have which are similar (or the same) on any other site? Like if your LinkedIn password was “thereisnocake” did you use that password anywhere else, like your Facebook or twitter account? Or, did you use “thereisnospoon”, or another similar password on any other account? If so, you should also be changing those as well.

I could add all sorts of password advice, but you can find that here, and here. I will just remind you that straight number substitution is the exact opposite of cool, so don’t even pretend it is tricky to spell “password” as “p455w0rd” – that really has not fooled anyone for at least 15 years.

So, keep your password safe – at least until we figure out something else…