Password Manager Program

A great way to keep track of a bunch of passwords is to use a password manager program.
We prefer KeePass Password Safe, a free, Open Source program by Dominik Reichl. The program manages and saves your passwords in a single, encrypted database. This database is protected with a strong password of your choosing, and in fact, it can be the only password you need to remember! The KeePass database remembers all the other passwords for you!
The KeePass program is portable, meaning you can put the program and database on a USB thumb drive and carry it around to any computer you use and have all your passwords easily at hand.
If you lose the thumb drive, just remember, the KeePass database is encrypted, no one else can acces your databse because they do not know your password! And because of your usual back-up routine, you still have a copy of your database. (you have a back-up plan, right?..)
We would be glad to assist you in using this wonderful program (and planning a back-up routine...), just give us a call.

Check and see how good your password is at the Microsoft Security Center

Tips for Making a Great Password

We know we should make strong, different passwords for each web site we log into. But who can remember all those characters and whatnot? The easiest way is to write them down, BUT, you have to be very sure to keep that piece of paper secure. The bad thing about writing them down is, we lose the piece of paper, we left it back in the desk drawer etc... So what else can be done to remember all those complicated passwords?
To create a strong password we need 3 key things the password must have:

• Complexity
• Length
• Easy to Remember

Here is an example, using a well known quote, of how to mash these 3 needed things together.

step 1: Start with a long sentence or 2 of a famous quote you can easily remember, and with a total of say 12 to 14 words or so.
• I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my Country


step 2: Keep the first letter of each word:
• i o r t i h b o l t l f m c


step 3: Add complexity by capitalizing 3 letters; the first letter, one in the middle, and one on the end:
• I o r t i h B o l t l f m C


step 4: Add length AND even more complexity by adding 2 numbers of significance to you; at the start, middle or end:
• 6 I o r t i h B o l t l f m C 5

Even though this is a good, strong password just as it is, it can be made much stronger with one little addition:

Add a Punctuation mark to the beginning, middle or end of it; add a ? or @ or $
• 6 I o r t i h ? B o l t l f m C 5