Sep 26 2014
Trying to remember all your passwords can be near impossible, especially if you’ve followed the password security protocol of not using the same password for every account. Given all the online services these days your number of passwords can easily begin to run into double digits, which unless you’re a password savant makes it hard to remember each one. The easiest solution is having a practical “Book of Passwords”.
Check out the I.T.eam’s “Book of Passwords”
Sure “Book of Passwords” may sound like the title to a Dan Brown novel, and the idea of having to use your hands and pen to write something on physical paper may seem a bit anachronistic, but it is quite safe. While it’s tempting to have a digital “Book of Passwords” sitting in your documents folder on your computer, it’s also offering the theft of your passwords to everyone on the internet.
Whereas if you store your passwords on a piece of paper in your desk draw, or if you’re sneaky under some loose paper in your desk draw, then you are limiting people’s ability to steal your passwords to people willing to physically break into your home. Which for most hackers is a bit of a tall ask, merely to get access to your Ebay account, more than likely anyone breaking into your house will be more interested in taking actual things that you’ve bought from Ebay. Of course there are still passwords that should never be written down, such as any relating to financial services, even in a stylishly decorated “Book of Passwords”.
Now if you don’t already have a “Book of Passwords”, don’t rush into it, as it will be a very personal item that you will carry with you for years and years. If you can afford it, splurge on something with a nice cover and don’t accept anything less than 120 GSM paper, you’re passwords will thank you for it, mostly by maintaining their legibility. Of course if you’re keen to be green and recycle, then barely used old diaries or old address books make great “Book of Passwords”.
If you’ve had a “Book of Passwords” for years, you will invariably have some passwords that you’ve changed in that time, as well as a couple of double or triple entries. So if you haven’t been maintaining it, this can make finding the correct password difficult. But if you’re willing to put the time in, you’ll be rewarded as a quick session of wrong or a duplicate password removal can bring it back to life. And if it ever gets too chaotic that you can’t see the light, you can always start again. However make sure you send your old “Book of Passwords” off to password heaven in a cleansing ritual fire just in case.
