Passwords

   Passwords are getting to be a challenge.  I have about 100 password-protected accounts now, and probably more to come.  No, I'm not exaggerating. In addition to my personal accounts, I am counting the various school network log-ins and school-based web sites.  One example: we have YouTube accounts set up for the Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. Each has its own user name and password.  And I have a personal YouTube account as well. So that's four passwords just for YouTube.  
   I said Passwords are getting to be a challenge. Let me re-phrase that; passwords are getting crazy.  Is this model of ever increasing password-protected accounts sustainable? Probably not, but for now and into the near future, many of us need to keep track of multiple accounts, each with unique password protocols.
   On top of this, I'll simply repeat what we've all heard. Passwords need to be somewhat complex to be effective. In other words, if it's easy to remember, it's probably easy to hack. That's why a mix of random symbols together with numbers and letters creates a strong password. Here's an example: 4fijT&%;4m9. A great password, sure, but who could possible remember it?
   Google the ten most popular passwords. Here's Gizmodo's list from 2012:

1. password

2. 123456

3. 12345678

4. abc123

5. qwerty

6. monkey

7. letmein

8. dragon

9. 111111

10. baseball 

   Yes, they are easy to remember, but just as easy to hack.  As passwords, they simply won't do.  So what's the solution? How can you create reasonably complicated passwords, keep track of them and hopefully have different passwords for each account?

   One solution is to create a spreadsheet of your accounts with user name and password information and any other additional account information that might be needed.  Upload the document to a password protected cloud storage account (like box.net, dropbox, iCloud, etc.) with the additional protection of a password to open the document.  I've done this. It works, and I feel comfortable with sensitive passwords housed in cloud storage.  In other words, if I want to log into my Google account and cannot remember my credentials, I would first go to dropbox and log in.  Then I would select the spreadsheet containing my account information and open it.  Before it actually opens, however, I will be required to put in an additional password. So I feel my account information is secure, but I do need to remember my dropbox information and the password that allows access to the spreadsheet.

   There is software that can do some of this work for you. Just recently, the NY Times posted a video as part of its Technology/App Smart section reviewing apps that assist with password management.  Though I've never used these apps personally, they look to be useful.  Here's the video: