How do you remember all of your passwords?

[PrincessFiona]

I can't get into my school accounts and I'm so annoyed. I feel like I just can't hold onto passwords anymore.
For security purposes, our school has us changing passwords every 90 days or so and our old and new passwords can't be related. The VA has a similar ridiculous cycle and I have multiple logins/passwords for multiple purposes. Even iMSN has us occasionally changing passwords. I have passwords for the kids' school logins, passwords for the kids' college logins....passwords, passwords, passwords. Enough already!

I'm old. I want to pick one password that is a high security level and keep it or variations of it. I've truly become so overwhelmed by passwords that I can't login to some accounts.

I also am automatically logged into my email on my cell phone. Yesterday, for some reason all of the cookies/passwords were cleared or something. It took me a half an hour of attempts to get back in. I can't believe I didn't get blocked before finally picking the right password.

So what do you guys do? How do you keep up with the never ending passwords?

[BonBon]

I try and use the same ones for certain things where I don't need a particularly high level of security. For all the rest, I have a small accordian file with 13 alphabetized slots for index cards. I just write the website, user ID, pw, associated email, and anything else that's relevant. It's saved me quite a few times!! Also helpful in case DH or I should become incapacitated, the other will be able to access our accounts. I can't remember all that schmidt. It's nuts!!

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[Phoebe]

I don't.

[HouseofWool]

I use variations on the same password with numbers in the middle of it for security. I have a spreadsheet with the name/description of the site and the password. I use * for all of the letters and just put the numbers in their positions.

[Vanquisher]

It's crazy. I have passwords that require being changed so often that no one could possibly keep track. This is supposed to be more secure?

[Sheherezade]

I've started using phrases or sentences. Somehow that's easier to remember and usually hits all the capital letter, number and symbol requirements.

I've heard good things about 1Password - it has app and desktop versions and apparently the
encryption is good. I'm thinking of getting that set up because the required changes are killing me too.


Angie

[spotty_dog]

The savvy computer people recommend keychain programs like the one Scheherezade mentions, that do automatic randomized complicated passwords that you access with a single master password. But nowadays I just make up passwords with a certain pattern that has lowercase and caps and a keyword related to the website. Then I just have to remember what my crazy brain decided was a good keyword. But for backup I keep my list of passwords in a file on Evernote. I stay logged in to Evernote on my main computer so I don't have to remember that password, but even if I have to log in again it's an easy password to remember. It's come in VERY handy!

[Sheherezade]

Ha! Spotty, I do the same thing. I recently read an article where a security expert said that hackers are good at figuring out user password personal codes and they will break in to everything once they hack yours. Bummed. I use an entirely different password system for what I deem "important" websites like financial, Facebook, email. There, I've even gone to random string generators and storing them in photos that are not searchable by bots. It's crazy though to spend this much effort on security.


Angie

[spotty_dog]

You're the second trusted computer person to mention 1Password specifically, and this thread is going to get me to at least look into it if not download it! I've also heard of LastPass in a reliable context.

[bobk]

I've been using 1password for years and it works well. The only problem is I switched my main computer from Mac to Linux a few years ago and 1password doesn't have a client for it. I'm using keepass as an alternative, which is a suitable substitute but required some tinkering to get it working properly.

[MAPPLEBUM]

I use the Keeper app. It works really well.

[ides]

We have a password book. Yes. I count on it for everything. It's in alphabetical order by website and we can add and remove pages.

[rainbabies]

I email them to myself and have a password folder.

[Vishenka69]

I use variations on the same password with numbers in the middle of it for security. I have a spreadsheet with the name/description of the site and the password. I use * for all of the letters and just put the numbers in their positions.

Great idea!

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[MrsK]

I don't. If it's not an important website that I visit frequently, I just reset the password the next time I visit the website. There are very few that are important enough for me to remember the password.