[alt-photo] password science

[Judy Seigel]

On Tue, 2 Feb 2010, Greg Schmitz wrote:

> A handy way to create secure passwords is to use lyrics to songs you know 
> well.  Use the first letter of each word.  If you want password with an even 
> higher level of security append a lyric from a song that includes a number 
> using a punctuation mark.  For example:
>
> "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, jingle all the way:" jbjbjatw
>
> and
>
> "Love potion number 9:" lpn9
>
> creates the password: jbjbjatw-lpn9
>
> You could capitalize one of the letters to make it even more secure; works 
> for me.
>
> --greg

Greg, You can probably carry a tune. I myself find songs infinitely 
mutable ... ESPECIALLY Jingle Bells -- do you know how many verses and 
versions it has? Do you want me to sing them to you? (Heh heh !) But the 
figures I used are (presumably) set in concrete.

But why isn't one password enough?  With more, you'd have to remember 
which for your e-mail, which for your safe, which the computer, the diary, 
the wine cellar, and for a really interesting life, even more.  Plus, if I 
devised a new one now, it would surely fight with the old.

In fact, having lived several decades without any password at all, I 
expect the present one to last for a while... especially if I don't wear 
it out.

best,

J.