How do I remember all these passwords?

Quoting:It's not like Kwalletmanager _couldn't_ have it's default _and_ be able to decrypt the GNOME wallets, and vise versa. That doesn't even take sharing, just admitting that the user might use the other guys stuff too.

Add to that XFCE, E17, the other desktop environments and oh, lets throw in a console password manager as well. Sharing does work, but it becomes impractical when the number of implementations increases. I'd far prefer a single, shared database and API.

Quoting:Sander, what about a single user-programmable smart card that contains all of your credit cards, rewards cards, and whatever else is loading up your wallet? Obviously a person would want to protect this VERY carefully. But what a convenience!

I wouldn't feel safe carrying that around :-) The problem with my wallet is that more and more things switch to teh credit-card shaped piece of plastic. Passport, drivers license, travel insurance. Everybody switches to these plastic cards because they are supposedly "convenient to carry around". Well, up to four maybe. Currently I carry 10 of them and I need them all on a regular basis.

Back on the topic of computer security...

Quoting:If I added 1 to my 4 digit PIN, so if it was 1234 I put in 1235, it would pretend to have gone "out of sync", "Please enter the next number on your fob:" and if I put in the altered PIN again it would log in, but it would send a code that "Bob Is Logged In Under Coercion" to the security team.

I love that idea!

Quoting:"oh great, now instead of stealing your wallet, they'll rip out your eyeballs."

"Limes Inferior", Janusz Zajdel, 1982. This guy was brilliant.

So Seriously, Am I the only person here that just keeps them all in their head?

Scott: I tried that. It worked well until I hit 40 logins or so. I have well over 100 now. No way I can memorize that all if I use different passwords everywhere.

Quoting: Am I the only person here that just keeps them all in their head?

Scott, this is the part where you hitch your britches, adjust your hat, and say "no brag, just a fact." Unless the number of logins you're remembering can be counted on one hand!

A hundred logins!?!?!

You got me there, my head would explode.

One Hand? I wish!

about twenty or so

I did read a missive from a security "expert" to the effect that brute-force and dictionary attacks are far more of a threat than breaking-and-entering, so it is a better trade-off to use good passwords _and_ write them down than to use something easy to remember, weak, or repeatedly.

Seems pretty obvious when put in those terms.

Or put them in a pgpgpg flat-file.

Having a common-format cross-platform encrypted back-end to the wallet manager of your choice is pretty good too.

If you keep a paper backup of your passwords and SSH/GPG keys, get a small fireproof safe.

My cell phone has a handy "Code Memo" feature that you can use to keep passwords and kewl secret agent stuff in... unlocks with a 4 digit code.

> So Seriously, Am I the only person here that just keeps them all in their head?

You mean your eyeballs; right?

Defeating brute force is easy with a little imagination. Just use a passphrase instead of a password. If your password is "walnuts" it can be easily broken with a dictionary or brute force attack. If it's "I like walnuts." then neither dictionary nor brute force will be effective.

Quoting:Defeating brute force is easy with a little imagination.

Add to that a simple and easy system, like adding one special character (* $ etc.) in specific locations, and possibly changing it periodically. This way you can even write your passwords somewhere safe without the special character, which you insert when you use the passwords.

The objective is to make it as secure as you want it but keeping it practical.

1337-5p34k!

N0 d1ct10n4ry h45 411 th353 w0rd5!

Sadly, I translated that quite quickly....

techiem2 I hadnt noticed that I had translated it until I saw your post. Thats sad, I really need to break my IRC addiction.

> So Seriously, Am I the only person here that just keeps them all in their head?

Scott, that only works for people who wouldn't leave their head behind if it wasn't attached. Which doesn't include me.

Quoting:Scott, that only works for people who wouldn't leave their head behind if it wasn't attached. Which doesn't include me.

I must be lucky then, I end up forgetting my head in all kinds of weird places but I can still remember stuff, like Godzilla movie titles, the names of authors to books I haven't read yet..

oh, and my passwords too!

Quoting:I can still remember stuff, like Godzilla movie titles

You mean, titles like "Godzilla"?

Hey! You know that one too?

How about Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla?

Or how about that gnarly Jason and the Argonauts, when Gidara shows up near the end? Wow. Didn't know the Japanese and Greeks were so close that long ago.