On passwords and personal security

I was reading the Editorial in the December issue (page 3) the other day, in which Dan once more explains the importance of having a good password and utilising the power of password managers. Well, you’ve finally convinced me to take the plunge! I had been doing the unthinkable for a long time — recycling the same password over and over, adding a different number here, slapping on a capital letter there... In my heart, I knew it was risky, but after receiving a suspicious email from my brother, I realised that, yes, I could get hacked, too. So I did a bit of shopping around and reading of your security articles over the past year and have decided to give 1Password a go. I’ve set up the app on my iPhone and have linked it with a desktop version on my iMac at home. One by one, I’ve been adding in my current login details and then visiting each site or app, then changing my passwords to a randomised suggestion from 1Password. It’s taking a long time, yes, but it’s also strangely satisfying that I’m finally doing something about my terrible security/password habits.

If there are any readers out there who are afraid to take the plunge, like I was, I can assure you that 1Password is about as simple as it gets. It does take a while to set up all your login details, but the way I see it... Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that! Thanks for the tips, TechLife team! Keep ‘em coming!