Changing your password...

[csl]

There might be a few members who have passwords that are too old, based on phpBB or vBulletin, shared with other websites, may have even been discovered on other sites etc. and you may get a message like this reminding you:



Yes, it is a genuine message that it's time to change your password.

Use lower case, upper case, a number etc. but the latest theory is that you're better off remembering 4 random words than you are trying to remember one with multiple capitals/lower case/numbers in! It's an idea too if you can have a different password for every web site you go on and you can store all them in a secure database like Password Manager for Families, Businesses, Teams | 1Password or KeePass Password Safe.

Source

 

[Pine Marten]

Yes, I rotate through passwords like that, based on the two unintelligible words that the tramp employed to sell the Evening Standard outside my Tube station used to shout in the 90s. They have a thousand possible spellings and still don't mean anything....

 

[csl]

You have hopefully already seen the data loss from LastPass. We are constantly fighting against ‘bots’ 24/7 trying different passwords. It’s only a matter of time if they’ve got old, weak, shared etc. passwords that they will get lucky.

Yes, It’s Time to Ditch LastPass

The password manager’s most recent data breach is so concerning, users need to take immediate steps to protect themselves.

www.wired.com

If the password is weak, if you have used a password for a long time or use one password over several sites or the password could have fallen into the hands of a third party then change your password…

…and, what would be even better, is if you chose ‘Two-step verification’ while you were at it!

 

[Precision123]

Here's a crazy scheme.
Use a password manager (Keepass is great, btw) and when you have to answer those questions like "what's your mum's name" use it to create a long random string of gobbledegook.
Keepass has a function where you can copy this without even looking at it. And if it's long and complex, the attackers won't be able to guess it.
Too much like faffing about, you say? Can't wait to see you trying to recover the money you've had stolen - what a hoot that is!
"They don't know my mum's name" I hear you cry. But fakebook does, and all her/your family and friends do too. Of course they do.

 

[Precision123]

If you want to see if you're 'Personally Identifying Information' is out there, check out this site and put your email address in.

Then get a password manager and change your passwords. You can thank me later.

Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach

Have I Been Pwned allows you to search across multiple data breaches to see if your email address or phone number has been compromised.

haveibeenpwned.com