Password Protection – Yes Again

The writings on this site must sometimes sound like a broken record: “protect your passwords” being one of the cautions repeated like a mantra. But if you follow the press about what is going on out in the digital world it seems that some people haven’t gotten the message yet. Recently a hacker revealed millions of user names and passwords being used on a site called Rockyou.com and when those passwords were analyzed it seems that nearly 50% of them or 16 million people used names, slang words, dictionary words, or "trivial" passwords such as consecutive digits -- 123456, for example -- and adjacent keyboard keys such as "QWERTY." In fact the most common password on Rockyou.com was “123456.” It may be time to brush up on your “password-eze”. Take a look at Stop Playing Password on this site.

Death, Online Gaming. Passwords and More

OK, so what happens if a loved one dies and you are left with the job of telling their online friends the news or maybe you just want to shut down some of their online accounts or subscriptions but they haven’t left you a set of passwords? Those are questions that three different sites have taken up after just these kinds of situations occurred. One of those is Deathswitch, where people can set up e-mails that will be sent out automatically if they don't check in at intervals they specify, like once a week. For $20 per year, members can create up to 30 e-mails with attachments like video files. Slightly Morbid also sends e-mail when a member dies, but doesn't rely on them logging in periodically while they're alive. Instead, members have to give trusted friends or family the information needed to log in to the site and start the notification process if something should happen. And a new similar site, Legacy Locker, will debut in April and  charge $30 per year. It will require a copy of a death certificate before releasing information. Curious about the circumstances that brought these sites to life? Read Death leaves online lives in limbo on the USAToday online site. Certainly makes one stop and think.

New Site, Same Password Opens Door to Hackers

It's so easy to do in the whirl of everyday life - use the same password on every site you shop on, to open you Facebook page, for your email and who knows what else. But using the same password for multiple Web pages is the Internet-era equivalent of having the same key for your home, car and bank safe-deposit box. While people seem to understand this is a no-no - 88 percent of the 800 people interviewed in the U.S. and the UK for a survey on the subject said personal irresponsibility is the key cause of identity theft and fraud - nearly half of these 800 interviewees still said that they use just one password for all their online accounts. Researchers say the findings suggest that many users underestimate the growing threat from organized cyber-criminals who reap big profits from selling stolen identities. The result costs consumers hundreds of millions of dollars a year in higher security costs.