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Passwords. AARGHH! (Original Post) cilla4progress Jul 2020 OP
I use LastPass... wcmagumba Jul 2020 #1
I second this, LastPass is a lifesaver! Bongo Prophet Jul 2020 #5
You will find a lot of advice on the subject Miguelito Loveless Jul 2020 #2
I write them down on several pieces of paper and keep them in a safe place. CaliforniaPeggy Jul 2020 #3
I bought two small notebooks, years ago, and it's always been my OnDoutside Jul 2020 #6
Try FeelingBlue Jul 2020 #4
That's a great idea! Cornus Jul 2020 #8
Trying to remember the passwords is not worth the effort. ManiacJoe Jul 2020 #7
There is a little book you can buy and record your passwords kimbutgar Jul 2020 #9
Thanks. I just ordered one. lpbk2713 Jul 2020 #10
All good suggestions, but if your problem is have to change work ones RazzleCat Jul 2020 #11
Appreciate cilla4progress Jul 2020 #12

Bongo Prophet

(2,732 posts)
5. I second this, LastPass is a lifesaver!
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:44 PM
Jul 2020

I create websites, so I have years of password and secure notes that I would not be able to manage without that little extension.

Check it out, it will save you tons of grief.

Miguelito Loveless

(4,643 posts)
2. You will find a lot of advice on the subject
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:31 PM
Jul 2020

Password managers are a good possibility, but I'll just tell you what has worked for me for 30+ years.

1) Longer is better. A passphrase is easy to remember. Mine is a nine word lyric from a song of my childhood, not in English

2) It is the master password for an heavily encrypted file with a list of all the password for all my accounts. These passwords can be different for each account, can be gibberish, or just LONG passwords.

3) I need to only remember the master password, because I can copy and paste whatever I need from the file.

4) The file is on a flash drive on my key ring.

5) A have a back up file on another flash drive which is updated weekly. A paper copy of my passwords are kept in a secure location with my will, insurance policies, etc. My wife has memorized my passphrase.

That's my system. If you wish a suggestion on how to generate secure passwords, let me know.

CaliforniaPeggy

(151,888 posts)
3. I write them down on several pieces of paper and keep them in a safe place.
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:31 PM
Jul 2020

I periodically review them and get rid of those I never use.

I keep the list in my computer and the paper copy where I can get to it.

It works for me!

OnDoutside

(20,649 posts)
6. I bought two small notebooks, years ago, and it's always been my
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:44 PM
Jul 2020

intention to have a numbered list of sites etc in one book, and an exact numbered match of passwords in the other book, so that I could hide both in separate parts of the house, but I never got around to it !

FeelingBlue

(758 posts)
4. Try
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:32 PM
Jul 2020

to come up with a standard combo that you can apply to all websites. For example, if you use the first and third letter of the website and the first and third letters of your first and last name, plus the year and one punctuation mark that’s usually acceptable, then you can figure out your password even if you can’t remember. So, for DU, you could have: ClPoDm20? (As if your name were Cilla Progress.

Some version of that could work. Good luck!!

ManiacJoe

(10,136 posts)
7. Trying to remember the passwords is not worth the effort.
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 02:57 PM
Jul 2020

Use a password manager. Let it do the remembering.

LastPass has already been mentioned. I like KeePass:
https://keepass.info/

lpbk2713

(43,201 posts)
10. Thanks. I just ordered one.
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 04:27 PM
Jul 2020


Up till now I kept passwords and signons and addresses on USB drives
but I would lose track of which one had this most current info. It's not
easy when you have about two dozen of those things laying around.



RazzleCat

(732 posts)
11. All good suggestions, but if your problem is have to change work ones
Sat Jul 18, 2020, 05:17 PM
Jul 2020

on the regular, and you have many of them, and they can't repeat I hit on a system.

Month, year, Pound sign. Skip or any month without enough letters, and start back about one decade.

No this is not the most secure, but I had 15 password protected accounts that I had to access most daily but at the least weekly on my last job. Trying to keep all of that in my head was impossible. So start with January1990#, use that on each account as the password expired, then on to February1990#, (in 30 day's, and yes that how fast they expired). This way you only have to know one password and you can guess within your three guesses the next one, either the month prior or after. When you run out go one to January1991#, just keep repeating.

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