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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Gawker Victim? 4 Ways to Make Your New Password Secure | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Ok, here's some info on how to make good Passwords. But, if you have one of these Worms, Rootkits or other Spying type of Viruses on your PC. Then none of this will help in that area of Your Computer Security...

Don

Gawker Victim? 4 Ways to Make Your New Password Secure

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By: William Fenton

12.14.2010
6 Comments

You hear about it all the time: sweeping security breach exposes thousands of usernames and passwords. Everybody knows the repercussions of password insecurity, but when push comes to shove, it's a pain to change passwords and it's even more of a pain to keep track of them.

However, if you are a member of any of the Gawker weblogs—Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin, and Fleshbot—the threat of hacking just got a whole lot more real. Last weekend's security breach exposed nearly 1.5 million accounts, including 500,000 e-mails and 185,000 passwords, to The Pirate Bay. I know what you're thinking, Pirate Bay? But that's for downloading movies. Alas, dear buccaneer, it's true.

In the aftermath of the hack, Gawker distributed an email encouraging its members—or those who choose to remain members—to change their passwords associated with their commenting accounts. Thankfully, you're wise enough to read the best name in tech news and reviews, and we at PCMAG will help you get those passwords sorted.

Whether you're a gawked Gawker or watchful web prowler, there are some basic rules to keep in mind as you update old passwords and create new ones.

1. Diversify your bonds: You have different accounts, so why not different passwords? Mix it up. Ensure that if one of your accounts gets hacked, the rest stay secure.

2. Keep a lid on it: A no-brainer, I know, but keep your passwords to yourself.

3. Pump up your password strength: Substitute numbers for letters. Use the caps. Or go Da Vinci and spell words backwards.

4. Update your wardrobe regularly: There's a fashion for every season. There also ought to be a password. Every time you buy a new pair of socks, change your passwords. (If you can't remember the last time you bought socks, you may have bigger problems than password security).

Want more? Check out our full article on Password Protection: