43 Folders

Back to Work

Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

Join us via RSS, iTunes, or at 5by5.tv.

”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Make your security answer a little weirder

Most sites requiring registration ask you to choose a “secret question” to which only you supposedly know the answer. Of course, in the age of Google, the city where you were born and your mother’s maiden name may no longer be the best kept secrets in the world.

So, next time you register for a site and it asks for your response to a challenge question, choose something that’s completely insane, but really memorable to you.

As an example, for your birth city, you might type “Bubbleyum” or for your Mother’s maiden name, you might punch in “Chilean Sea Bass.” The point is to pick something 1) totally outlandish that’s 2) memorable to you. That way, you can be consistent in reusing your fake answers from one site to the next without the need for a lot of separate notes (while hopefully making the “correct” answers a little less useful to potential crackers).

Not military-grade stuff by a long shot, but a simple, painless way to safety up just a bit.

Related: check out this cool bookmarklet for giving your generic internet password an easy extra measure of obfuscation.

TOPICS: Tricks
Nic Wolff's picture

Thanks for the link! I...

Thanks for the link! I didn't find it from a referer or anything, I was just enjoying your blog and was happily surprised to find a link back to my password generator.

 
EXPLORE 43Folders THE GOOD STUFF

Popular
Today

Popular
Classics

An Oblique Strategy:
Honor thy error as a hidden intention


STAY IN THE LOOP:

Subscribe with Google Reader

Subscribe on Netvibes

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe on Pageflakes

Add RSS feed

The Podcast Feed

Cranking

Merlin used to crank. He’s not cranking any more.

This is an essay about family, priorities, and Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s probably the best thing he’s written. »

Scared Shitless

Merlin’s scared. You’re scared. Everybody is scared.

This is the video of Merlin’s keynote at Webstock 2011. The one where he cried. You should watch it. »