Who goes there?
THERE’S both a long and a short history of passwords, those
words which let you pass some manmade barrier. The short history is filled with urgent current debate about computer passwords; but first the long story.
Shibboleth
In the book of the Judges (12:56), which includes some of the Bible’s oldest material, the initial sibilant of the word
shibboleth was used as a kind of password; a test of whether a captured soldier could pronounce shibboleth in the captors’ way, not as their native
sibboleth. Bad news for those who couldn’t. So shibboleth has become the name of an identity test by speech: like lollapalooza in World War 2, or feesh and cheeps versus fush and chups, or haitch versus aitch.
Open, Sesame
The Arabian Nights has the hero Ali Baba overhear 40 thieves, who use the magic password Open sesame to open their secret treasure store, and
Close sesame to get out again safely. Ali Baba overhears both passwords and comes back to take and relocate the treasure. He emerges from further
escapades and triumphs. Open
sesame has become a byword if not a password . . .
Hamlet
. . . but in Shakespeare’s
Hamlet we get the full routine, with a vengeance. “Enter
BARNARDO and FRANCISCO,
two sentinels. [Says Barnardo]
Who’s there? [but says
Francisco] Nay, answer me.
Stand and unfold yourself.
Barnardo: Long live the king!!” One sentry challenges the other; but it is the wrong sentry challenging — the newcomer should answer the sentry already on duty. They do the challenge again, correctly. This all creates tension. The password itself, Long live the
king!, receives emphasis — and doubt. Life expectancy is not high for kings in this Denmark, where “something is rotten”. The nation is in a crisis.
And now to Ireland
There was more crisis recently over passwords in Ireland. A drugdealer stored his profits in bitcoins, online. To keep his password safe, he wrote it down on paper, which he hid in his fishingrod case. But then he was arrested for cannabis possession and did time. During that time his landlord cleared out his belongings, to the tip. Prolonged searching at the tip, by the police, has not found the password (Guardian, February 21). It’s still out there, somewhere, so is the loot.
Computers
Now talking of password muckups brings me up to date, to the paralysis and despair when computer passwords, or memory and brain, fail us. You, too, may get shut out by mishap from your money, like the 40 thieves or Bitcoinman. So: Remember your passwords! But
don’t write them down!
Differentiate them! But then the number and complexity of your passwords grow and grow. Who but a trained spy could remember
International Password Day
Panic must be widespread. Googling tells you that “The Registrar of NationalDay Calendar has designated the first Thursday of May of each year as World Password Day.
World Password Day is a celebration to promote better
password habits”. How would anyone like me celebrate such a day of paranoia? Roll on, May 7.
Simpler times
I prefer the password strategy of my grandson, aged 4. He stood at the doorway of the kitchen and barred access to everyone trying to enter it. “Give the password!” he said. Noone could. So we had to ask him, “What’s the password, please?” And obligingly, for he is a splendid boy, he told us: “Password”.