PSA: I used to think a single password for everything was fine, until my old email got hit in 2019.

Back then, I just used one password with a few numbers swapped for my bank, email, and a couple of forums. It got into a data breach from a small gaming site I forgot about. Now I use a password manager and make a different, long password for every single account. It took a weekend to change everything, but it's worth it. How do you guys keep track of all your different passwords now?

3 comments

3 Comments

susan1301mo ago

Saw an article about that pattern method once. The writer said if one site gets breached, hackers can guess your pattern for other sites pretty easy. They called it a "password skeleton key" and said it's risky. Using a manager felt like putting all eggs in one basket to me too, but the good ones use really strong encryption. It's like the difference between hiding a key under a mat versus using a heavy duty lockbox.

grantf731mo ago

I get the password manager thing, but honestly, that's just another single point of failure. I still use a few strong base passwords and then add a site-specific code. Like my main password plus "fb" for Facebook or "amz" for Amazon. It's not that hard to remember a handful of patterns, and it's not all sitting in one app that could get hacked or just stop working.

the_oscar1mo ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my old system! I used to write all my passwords down in a little notebook and hide it under my keyboard. Felt like a secret agent until my cat knocked it into the trash once.