Once again the password issue rears its ugly head.
A friend just posted this, which prompted me to write her a reply and later expand it into this blog:
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I haven't used my yahoo email in so long.
SO long infact that I have completely forgotten the password and apparently whatever birthday and zip code I used when I signed up in order to retrieve it! I also forgot the password to my photobucket and can't get that one either bc I used the yahoo email address when creating THAT account too :)
I'm a dumbass
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My advice regarding passwords is this:
Apply a formula across all your passwords, keep the formula consistent by never straying from it.
An example formula: Insert your b-day year every 1 character and a pre-set word at the end, using the site name.
1976 and potat0 as an example.
www.yahoo.com, you would end up with y1a9h7o6oopotat0 for the password.
www.youtube.com: y1o9u7b6epotat0
Note the vowel substitution of the "o" by a zero. Never, ever, EVER use one word without modification as your password. "Dictionary" passwords are easily cracked by brute-force attacks if one has the time and inclination to perform an attack.
Below is a SMALL section of the "A"s in a 2.2 MB dictionary file. This particular file contains 213 thousand words and can be run-through with a brute-force cracker quicker than you'd think.
A variation of brute-force password crackers also exists which allows for permutations in words, with customizable levels of 1-?? characters.
For more information on attack methods, check out http://www.lostpassword.com/attacks.htm. This is by no means ALL the available methods, but will give you an idea of how things get done.
Passware has been around for quite some time and I have used their product to crack countless quickbooks and quicken passwords AT CUSTOMER'S REQUEST (Don't even go there).
Quickbooks takes top spot for password jobs, with quicken trailing it by far.
aa
aal
aalii
aam
aani
aardvark
aardwolf
aaronic
aaronical
aaronite
aaronitic
aaru
ab
ababdeh
ababua
abac
abaca
abacate
abacay
abacinate
abacination
abaciscus
abacist
abactinal
abactinally
abaction
abactor
abaculus
abadite
abaff
abaft
abaisance
abaiser
abaissed
abalienate
abalienation
abama
abampere
abandonable
abandoned
abandonedly
abandonee
abandoner
abandonment
abanic
abantes
abaptiston
abarambo
abaris
abarthrosis
abarticular
abarticulation
abas
abased
abasedly
abasedness
abasement
abaser
abasgi
abashed
abashedly
abashedness
abashless
abashlessly
abashment
abasia
abasic
abask
abassin
abastardize
abatable
abatement
abatis
abatised
abaton
abator
abattoir
abatua
abature
You catch my drift... Don't forget that passwords are case-sensitive, capitals can be used to your advantage (easy to remember proper name caps).:
1234Leo is different from 1234leo.
The important thing is to apply a uniform formula across ALL your passwords and never stray from it.
I have been using the "formula" method for many years now, so all my passwords are "compliant". I would recommend making a list of all the places you use passwords in and changing them ALL in one shot.
The MAJOR drawback of this method: If someone figures out your password creating method, they'll have access to all your accounts.
Do not reveal your formula to anyone OR write it down anywhere, make your formula complex enough yet easy to remember; adding a 1 after a word is too simple and easily cracked/guessed.
I'm out.