Password Protected
Posted at 6:05 AM on May 6, 2010
by Dale Connelly
(40 Comments)
I have a password that protects my computer and another one that blocks access to my e-mail. Different word puzzles guard the fences that surround my online subscriptions and accounts, the WiFi router at home and the set of remote speakers I've hooked up in my living room. The cell phone has a password. So does the garage door.
Yes, an intruder will have to jump many hurdles in order to get close to my stuff. And a little bit of online research reveals that a hacker armed with code cracking software who is determined to breech the ramparts I've constructed will be able to do it in about ten minutes. And an eight year old without the software who has no cartoons to distract her could do it in half that time.
It's pretty clear that the culprit who has the hardest time getting past my defenses is me.
I choose new passwords based on how easily I think I'll be able to remember them, and then I forget them anyway. After regularly checking my carefully hidden (not in the desk drawer!) cheat slip I slowly begin to learn my own secret and just when I've mastered it the system administrator says it's time to change to a new one.
I suffer mental paralysis trying to think of something fresh that is both memorable and obscure. The brain is a bottomless mystery.
One common suggestion for creating good passwords is to combine a key phrase with an important date and then alternate the characters in a familiar pattern that also includes the fifth letter from the end of the name of the website or device you're trying to protect.
I have no idea what that means. I'm thinking of making that last sentence my new password - it's incomprehensible.
Using mnemonic devices is also a highly recommended strategy to craft a good password. To me, that means it's limerick time.
A manager given the sack,
Made up passwords too complex to crack.
He had walled off each file
With incomparable guile
So the company hired him back.
A poor woman from East Billabong
Set her firewall ten times too strong
Though she wanted to sin
No one else could log in
How can so many Aussies be wrong?
A computer programmer named Bud
Thought up passwords, and each one - a dud.
All his programs got hacked
All his data - ransacked
And his name became digital mud.
Please list all your favorite passwords below.
Just kidding. How do you face the password conundrum?
And if it leads to a limerick, so be it!
Comments (40)
Morning all.
I deal w/ the password conundrum by not worrying about it too much. As you said, someone w/ the right software who is seriously intent on getting to my stuff, will get to my stuff. Same reason I don't have a "security system" (well, except for the big dogs)... a serious thief can get in easily. Of course a serious thief will have done his/her homework and know that I don't have anything worth stealing!
Just received in an email last night. This one was supposed to be about a blond - fill in your favorite stereotype:
During a recent password audit, it was found that a (fill in the blank) was using the following password: "MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento". When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one
ok, i'll try. but with Dale and Clyde and Tim (and others) so talented it is somewhat daunting!
two farmers who loved to milk goats
did badly with their cyber moats
they thought and they thought
but all that they got
were words about pellets or oats.
good morning All -
I'm not good a Limericks; so fire away barb and I will sit back and appplaud you and Dale. CLAP CLAP, CLAP; which reminds me of an old dirty joke . . .
Am I supposed to use passwords?
Goof morning all. I have problems with passwords similar to yours, Dale, and supose most of us have this problem. I haven't progressed to making a cheat sheet, but I need to do this.
Is there a password management for dummies book? Maybe I can get a program which will automaticly start the process of getting a new password whenever I am asked for my password.
The medical folks figured me out,
they know I will swear and pout.
Right before I could pull at their rug
they put me on a new drug.
Now I'm too spacey to even shout.
Because of the nature of my job, I am required to manage many, many passwords. The shared passwords are in a text file that is encrypted and stored in a shared location. Each of us has a personal password that unlocks the file. My personal passwords vary by strength, depending on whether or not they will be used to access my bank or credit card information. Since I'm required to change my password every 60 days and since the system will remember 13 historical passwords, I use a pw creation system where I keep the first part of the password consistent and then change some ending characters. Those characters are all I have to remember then. Finally, I have a password keeper on my BlackBerry, both of which (the BlackBerry and the password keeper) are protected by passwords!
I am with you, sherrillee, nothing worth stealing here. In fact, I think we have cleverly left things wide open to let thieves case the joint and discover that for themselves.
I know several people who never lock their cars and make sure to leave nothing in them. Saves on the auto glass replacement costs.
As far as virtual stuff, I am not sure I have anything online worth cracking for. A friend once googled me for fun and found nothing-I took a sort of pride in that.
Worked too long in theatre to think of fame as anything but a burden.
My friend the security expert described my work computer system as too secure for daily use and inadequate for protection. Glad we covered both of the inadequacies apprpriately.
So glad nobody has password protected the TB.
Greetings! Computers, passwords and limericks -- oh my! I've been trying to think of one, but I'm not terribly creative. I'm too pedantic about grammar and spelling to have flights of fancy in words, but I sure appreciate the ones that have been done so far!
My husband uses RoboForm (freeware I think) to handle all passwords and filling in blanks. I believe it generates strong passwords, keeps a complete file of passwords you can print out, and it automatically fills out online shopping carts so your keystrokes can't be copied or hacked. It's pretty slick. That's my solution to the password conundrum.
I was suprised when I was allowed to speak to a live person after failing to give a password over the phone. This is the kind of service I would like, but I don't think there is any way we can expect this kind service except in rare exceptional cases.
the passwords you recently mentioned
often cause some hardship and tension
i cant seem to remember
the cadence or timbre
i've invented to have my brain clench on
my computer,then once tried, it locks
and becomes a virtual pox
so i have to refer
when my brain is deturred
to the reminder thats sentf to my mailbox
I have two passwords that were assigned to me long ago that are totally random letter/number combinations - one shorter, one longer. Depending on the situation, I have tended to use variants on those two. I'd like to think it's a little safer than using my birthdate or something like that - but since I use them almost everywhere, it's hard to say how much I'm fooling myself...
Catherine's comment about cars and auto glass reminds me of a friend who used to buy beaters and purposefully leave them unlocked. She figured if someone really wanted her car, they were welcome to it. And if it was found later, better to get it back with intact windows than not. She does, however, use some pretty intricate passwords for her technology, though.
Dale, it just so happens to be my birthday today, and I dont use my birthdate for any of my passwords. I have no idea what to request though, so use your best judgment Dale
No limericks coming out of this brain this morning.
I have used pet names, breeds and places at various times...but tracking them is/was a nightmare...finally settled on using Norwegian phrases (often misspelled) as a dual purpose of hoping they will imbed in my mind as well as open up websites.
But I have to keep them in an email folder in order to get them when needed.
It's Thursday...and snow on the way. uffda!
How I spent My Bike Ride In
At MPR works a man named Mike Pengra.
He runs the uh, you know, thinga.
He keeps it all running,
So we can keep funning.
I wonder, does he ever get angra?
Lovely barb lives up in blackhoof.
Her barn has goats to the roof.
With goats she dances and prances,
But at rats never glances.
To no one else is she that aloof.
In Mankato lives an old man named Clyde.
From his brain everything slides.
Trying to manage passwords
Does give him quite loose turds.
On the Internet he cannot hide.
in eden praire lives an artitsit anmed jim
hsis keybroading is realy quite grim
his art is abstract
whch means he is cracked
what else could we expext frm him
I have too many passwords at work and have to change them too often. I understand that changing passwords frequently does nothing to improve security in the long run. We are expecting up to 7 inches of snow here today. This invariably happens just as my tulips are ready to bloom. The central part of the state lost 8000 power poles in the last storm, and this could also be a pole breaker. We can only hope it will stay warmer than expected and fall as rain. My heart is warmed by the knowledge that my husband and I are sustainers of MPR and I encourage everybody else to become sustaining members, too.
Happy birthday to our friend named Aaron.
A few months ago he got quite daring.
Moved out on his own.
His drumming keeps going.
With us we hope he keeps sharing
I saw a poster in an IT office that read "Someone stole my password. Now I have to rename my dog."
Jim urges farming sustainable.
Without all the chemicals obtainable.
He would make us organic.
To some he seems manic.
But in the future he will not be blamable.
Renee counsels those in Dakota North.
But heavy snows will soon come forth.
Poles will blow down.
Her tulips will frown.
She better stay home, of courth.
Thank you so much dear Cylde
Whose remarks are never snide,
So lets give a cheer
for 25 more years
And I hope I get outside (for the bus to class before Dale plays his birthday gift)
MPR is running a pledge week.
From us donations they seek.
Oh, just quit complaining,
Become a member sustaining.
We will have more music and less speak
Thanks, Clyde. I wish I could stay at home. Love the limericks today.
Sweet song, and sweet introduction. Thanks Dale! By the way, I wasn't on a float I was actually marching with a band, like some of you did in high school. Well with one twist, and I have Youtube evidence of this twist:
Complete with a close up of me with said white crown.
Enjoyed "MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofSacramento", CanoeGypsy, and the dog one, Don. :)
Cynthia, good idea about using misspelling. If I could just remember...
My passwords are such as they are,
I don't think there's much that they'd bar.
I'm so nonchalant
I don't even want
To lock up the stuff in my car.
Our son had an entire notebook of his passwords; and he would insist we lock our car even when in the driveway. I'm with you, Catherine and Sherrilee.
Enjoying the limericks...
I dimly remember the days when phone numbers were expressed with a word at the beginning - 22 stood for Capital, 64 for Midway, and so on, so you gave your phone number as, say, Midway 57077. For my passwords I usually use a phone number from my childhood which is etched in my memory but not recorded anywhere, since my family had it over 40 years ago. Six characters followed by five numbers usually passes most web administrators' standards, except there is occasionally a site that limits you to eight characters, which is irksome. (If anyone wants to employ this method, they will have my permission after sending me a small remuneration. Whatever you can afford. I hope you will see the sense in doing this; it's your support that keeps my creativity flowing.)
By the time I was about ten nobody used those word designations as part of phone numbers anymore, they just became seven digit numbers.
Happy birthday, Aaron!
Great limericks everyone! I'm hopeless at poems and rhymes. My passwords are usually sentences with numbers in random places. It's hard, sometimes, to remember which password goes with which User ID. I have many different ones. I do keep them written down, but usually it's not handy, haha. Most of the time it's the guess-and-check method.
Aaron - happy birthday! I still march in the local city band here every summer. We've even added a couple parades this year. It's amazing the range of ages - from high school to people who've been playing for more than 60 years :) We even wear uniforms! Good times.
I guess I better limerickize Dale.
Whose blogs never get stale.
Who know all the tunes
To please all these goons
O to him we all shout, Hail!
Yes, happy birthday Aaron. And
Off Topic: I didn't make it to MayDay, but I trust the parade was magnificent?
OK, I spent far too much time on this lame limerick, but here goes ... (and be kind)
Let us raise a glass of ale
To our on air friend named Dale.
He’s witty and warm
With intelligence and charm,
But without Mike Pengra RH would be pale.
Trial Balloon is not an actual place
And I can only imagine the look of each face.
But here we are from Blackhoof, North Dakota and Big Lake,
Mankato, Minneapolis, Mahtowa and London for heaven’s sake.
The time we spend here gives us all great cheer;
So let’s enjoy our time in this space.
Very very nice Joanne. And to all the others who can rhyme before 9 in the morning. I am in awe.
And happy birthday Aaron!
Passwords. Hate em! Cannot remember em! Have a list of em beside my computer, which theoretically is like hanging the key next to the front door. I grew up in a very rural setting. We had no locks on our doors. My wife grew up in Minneapolis. She cannot walk through a door and not lock it behind her. She has many times locked me out of the house; she of course says I locked myself out of the house.
Sorry about the blitz of bad limericks, but I am really really loopy. I bet I am one of the few people who can be put around the bend by a topical cream. I mentioned to my doctor my skin issues, which I have had my whole life, part psoriasis and part other things. He got all excited, I think because he found a symptom he can actually treat, since the stuff on my head is not psoriasis. So he gave me two things to apply. One goes into my hair and one on my face. But I am very very susceptible to chemicals and odors. These two things are right by my nose and I do not doubt that absorption through the skin can affect me. I still say they are trying to weaken me as I deal with fighting the system. A war I will now try to go back to.
Happy Birhday, Aaron! At the final broadcast of "The Morning Show" I was in line just behind you and your Mom and like you, one of the last to get into the theater! Great memory!
Barb, Mayday was just lovely this year. People really had a great time!
I reread some of the first posts, done while I was riding, and have to do this. (Oh, and Joanne, clearly I should take more time as you do. Very nice.) By the way, in my world, "Nerd" is the highest compliment possible.
Elinore, you are quite the nerd
With how you protect your passwords.
You understand all the codes
As your explanation showed.
You make sense of what I find absurd.
I often use a previous address or my former middle name. Not too original but I need something I can remember.
With summer approaching I want to share a car game listeners may enjoy. You pick a topic, then working as teams or individuals each needs to sing at least 8 lines of a song that includes a word that fits the topic. You are "out" when you draw a blank. Last one in the game wins.
We do not choose topics as complex as Dale uses for the radio show, which recently have included "satisfaction" and "groundhogs." We like to do "forms of transportation" or "weather" or "night."
A game asking for animals took three of us two hours and only bored the one not playing.
Now you done it -- made me think I can actually write limericks (although I think I butchered the cadence a bit). Here's another one for the record.
The Morning Show no longer is here,
And for that we all shed many a tear.
But look at us now for the friends we have made,
For all the gold in the world I would not trade.
Lose some and win some, only now its all clear.
Jim Ed’s voice and humor we still miss,
But poems, rhymes and limericks are bliss
To RH souls who appreciate the sublime,
This mix of music, wit and intelligence so fine.
Freedom to blog, lurk or listen with nary a hiss.
Ensconced in Big Lake is Joanne,
To whom we give a hand
For her limericks so fine
And humor sublime,
One of many who makes this place grand.
Only slightly related: there is a song in which you sing a dirty Limerick and then sing a chorus. At the U of Chi I had a very, ah, I guess the word is perverse or at least weird, friend who played the guitar and sang very well. He could go on forever making up dirty Limericks. He got a doctorate and now works for, and this seems an irony to me, for The City of Hope Foundation.
Great, Joanne! :)
And Kris, I'm gonna print out that car game and keep in the glove compartment!
what a kick. i was in nevada this morning and was tring to tune in quickly beforre i had to go to the airport and loose the connection. i got to read the first batch and send one off then had to run and ust got to check back. excellent work everyone.
clyde
the limmerick offerings were such
that i suspected your new dosage too much for your body to handle
cause your brain held no candle
put them back in the medicine hutch.
renee my old nodak state buddy
lives in the flatlands to stay ruddy
helps to fix what will ail ya
you resust she'll impale ya
a statistic you'll be in her study,
barb and cynthia ladies of goat
are on the blog early to gloat
how they'v e done all their chores
painted the house plowed the fields and whats more
they've knitted the goatlings new coats.
arron has a birthday today
on the 6th of the month we call may
heard his songs fore his school
thanks dale that was cool
fits this group well thats all i can say
the guy in the hat has been missed
cept when we as a group reminissed
and for a bit he returned
with his saccasim burned
holes in all of our sacred belief lists
joanne sells those health food store pills
to fix up you various ills
make you healthy and strong
grow hair like king kong
shes developed a sense of good will
alana lives over in michigan
she wants to go buy a dog dish again
and a dog i foot tall
sounds to me pretty small
must want to see a small tail swish again
steve rat a tat tats on our blog
turns out hes the senior most dog
among this group of old hippies
and his stuffs pretty chippy
hes a driving rh wheel not a cog
jim shows up most every day
opinons are what he displays
topic rage a to z
jims perspectives we see
cause he always has something to say
barbara anna joanne sherrilee and i went to the russian mueseum
we'd blogged but i fianally got to see um
we had such a nice day
that i really must say
we had as much fun as steve had with liam
mike has drum heads with the twins autographs
dales starts the blogs where we get dialy laughs
they are our radio blog guys
sending airwaves through the skies
they're a pair and of the two each is half
i hate leaving anyone out
but my brains fading and feels like saurkrauto
so to ben, don, linda or kay
all i can say
is next time i'll give you a shout.
the password discussion is through
i like limmericks better don't you?
but dale got us going
and tomorrow its snowing
when that canadian clipper blows through
david lettermans on and im tired
but on returning from west coast im wired
so i need to stop this night rhyme
to get back to minnesota time
its a jet lag solution i have aquired
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