Passwords. AARGHH!

[cilla4progress]

Does anyone have a simple effective system? I've tried a variety of techniques, but need a new one and am out of ideas!

[wcmagumba]

1. I use LastPass...

the free version and it has worked well for three years.

[Bongo Prophet]

5. I second this, LastPass is a lifesaver!

I create websites, so I have years of password and secure notes that I would not be able to manage without that little extension.

Check it out, it will save you tons of grief.

[Miguelito Loveless]

2. You will find a lot of advice on the subject

Password managers are a good possibility, but I'll just tell you what has worked for me for 30+ years.

1) Longer is better. A passphrase is easy to remember. Mine is a nine word lyric from a song of my childhood, not in English

2) It is the master password for an heavily encrypted file with a list of all the password for all my accounts. These passwords can be different for each account, can be gibberish, or just LONG passwords.

3) I need to only remember the master password, because I can copy and paste whatever I need from the file.

4) The file is on a flash drive on my key ring.

5) A have a back up file on another flash drive which is updated weekly. A paper copy of my passwords are kept in a secure location with my will, insurance policies, etc. My wife has memorized my passphrase.

That's my system. If you wish a suggestion on how to generate secure passwords, let me know.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I write them down on several pieces of paper and keep them in a safe place.

I periodically review them and get rid of those I never use.

I keep the list in my computer and the paper copy where I can get to it.

It works for me!

[OnDoutside]

6. I bought two small notebooks, years ago, and it's always been my

intention to have a numbered list of sites etc in one book, and an exact numbered match of passwords in the other book, so that I could hide both in separate parts of the house, but I never got around to it !

[FeelingBlue]

4. Try

to come up with a standard combo that you can apply to all websites. For example, if you use the first and third letter of the website and the first and third letters of your first and last name, plus the year and one punctuation mark that’s usually acceptable, then you can figure out your password even if you can’t remember. So, for DU, you could have: ClPoDm20? (As if your name were Cilla Progress.

Some version of that could work. Good luck!!

[Cornus]

8. That's a great idea!

[ManiacJoe]

7. Trying to remember the passwords is not worth the effort.

Use a password manager. Let it do the remembering.

LastPass has already been mentioned. I like KeePass:
https://keepass.info/

[kimbutgar]

9. There is a little book you can buy and record your passwords

It’s this little book that you can record everything. I have two in case I lose one in my home. Only $6. I’ve seen them also at Barnes and Noble.



https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Internet-Address-Password-Book/dp/1441303251/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KEZB65YJZXBU&dchild=1&keywords=internet+and+address+password+logbook&qid=1595103291&sprefix=Internet+and+address+pass%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-2

[lpbk2713]

10. Thanks. I just ordered one.

Up till now I kept passwords and signons and addresses on USB drives
but I would lose track of which one had this most current info. It's not
easy when you have about two dozen of those things laying around.

[RazzleCat]

11. All good suggestions, but if your problem is have to change work ones

on the regular, and you have many of them, and they can't repeat I hit on a system.

Month, year, Pound sign. Skip or any month without enough letters, and start back about one decade.

No this is not the most secure, but I had 15 password protected accounts that I had to access most daily but at the least weekly on my last job. Trying to keep all of that in my head was impossible. So start with January1990#, use that on each account as the password expired, then on to February1990#, (in 30 day's, and yes that how fast they expired). This way you only have to know one password and you can guess within your three guesses the next one, either the month prior or after. When you run out go one to January1991#, just keep repeating.

[cilla4progress]

12. Appreciate

all the ideas!