Passwords 101

I've been working with computers for a long time. Since 1975 to be exact. And the one weakness in the security of those computers has been the password. Make them too complex and the user will write it on a sticky-note and put it on the monitor. Make it to easy and the password can be brute-forced, or the user will use their kid's name as the password.

So how to go about making a secure password? Well I like to have 3 out of the 4 items. These would be:

Uppercase Characters
Lowercase Characters
Numbers
Punctuation

So how do you remember the password F$mpatsFld?I break it down into chunks, then you need to just know the order of the chunks. So to make this password, I took Fannie May, the name of a fictional relative, and a tv show. So here is how I did it:
F$m = Fannie Mae
pat = fictional relative
sFld - Sienfeld

So I have about 15 different combo's and I just re-arrange them to make passwords. So let's add a few more... M$ft for Microsoft, pB58 for papelbon (Red Sox closer), and C.Cr for Captain Crunch cereal.

Now by swapping chunks around you can create very secure passwords that you can even keep track of without worrying about it.
sFldC.Cr
C.CrpB58
M$ftF$m

They way to jog your memory is to never, ever write down the whole password. But you can give yourself mnemonics to remind you. I would never write down mnemonics for really important passwords, like how to log into blogger, or your ban's website, but for email, forums etc here is what I do. on a piece of paper, or in the Google Notebook. Now, a mnemonic isn't an exact copy, it's just to jog your memory. So for the 3 above I'd use something like this:

blogger tv cereal
avsforum cereal close
THG forums evil empire bailout

The trick is to make it personal without using any of your social security numbers, childrens' or spouse's birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Hope this helps some, I got a wicked head cold so I'm not making too much sense, so I might have to edit this to make it a little clearer.

Personal Security

In a comment a while ago, someone mentioned it was probably not a good idea to go over all my preps because I am letting the world know what I got. I'm pretty good about sanitizing my posts on exactly where I live and work, and more importantly removing clues that would, when tied together, lead to my location.

Eventually there will be enough information out there to track me down. No matter how careful I am, eventually, someone I know will post a comment with my real name, or I'll slip where I work or have worked in the past. No matter how hard you try, if someone wants to find you, they will. Even if I pack up, and head out to the boonies, so long as I am in communication with anyone, I will eventually be found.

For now it's a big game of hide and seek. I'm not worried about someone finding me, I have dogs, a license to carry, and a security system. I doubt anyone's looking for me anyways. I don't own a big-screen TV, or a fancy car. All my firearms are locked up in the MOAGS (mother of all gun safes) unless I'm carrying it, or it's under my direct control at the shooting range.

Likewise I have no interest in where my readers live. I could easily capture IP address information when someone connects to the site, then by tracking that IP I could eventually track them down. But to what purpose? I have no interest in my reader's personal information other than a general area of where they are from. I also value your (the readers) opinion, or knowledge you may have that might help me and the rest of the readers survive and prosper. The little map to the right is just so I can see if I am providing benefit to the community or just spinning my wheels - by the number of connections.

You need to protect yourself in layers. Keeping your actual home's location vague to strangers is the first step. Then having a security system in your home, it's $40 a month well spent. Then having your valuables locked in a strongbox. Dogs are a bonus. There are companies out there that will mask your IP address, but they charge a monthly fee, billable to a credit card, so the fedz can get you if the average citizen can't.

Have an excellent weekend!

One-Upsmanship

Well over at Suburbanprepper he had a good idea for an intruder detection system, by using the little snaps that kids toss on the sidewalk. A great idea, except as everything seems to be it's illegal in Mass, I need to come up with something else. Yes, snaps are illegal here. But if your gay you can marry... go figure.

So to 1-up my fellow blogger I present to you two ideas for us nanny-state prisoners. Those would be bubble wrap and beer cans.

I'm a pack rat so I have spare bubble wrap for the gazillion things I buy online. Take enough to cover the area you want to protect, spray paint it a flat black, and tape it down under the window you want to alarm. Put it in hallways and across thresholds. Please resist popping the bubble wrap yourself, and if you have young kids, this won't work at all. :)

As for the beer cans, take an empty beer or soda can and wash it out real well. Then put some pebbles in it, like 5-6. Tie on some mono fishing line and string it about waist high (so the dogs can run under it) tie the other end to something sturdy, and place the can on convenient surface to fall from. this is what a friends dad put in the concertina wire in Vietnam to alert the sentries of VC sneaking through.