WebPasskey: A password passport for Net travelers<\/p>\n
By Lim Tri Santosa<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): I am only guessing at the requirements to
\ninitiate a nuclear holocaust, but after seeing most of the
\nclassic apocalypse movies, I figure that the guys in the missile
\nroom and the president have passwords. Everyone else sits around
\nand sweats.<\/p>\n
Just about anywhere you go on the Web these days, you need a
\nuser ID and a password. Secure shopping sites, Web-based e-mail
\nservices, online brokerages, and even The Jakarta Post's news
\narchives. One of the annoying facets of modern life is that it
\ngenerally takes more passwords to get through a day than it does
\nto launch a nuclear strike. Yes, the Net has already evolved,
\npowered by the emergence of virtual commerce, which has begun to
\nchange for the virtual world as much as it did the real world
\nwhen the first traders journeyed across river and mountains to do
\nbusiness with others.<\/p>\n
Most Net people have many passwords strewn around the world.
\nThere are millions of forgotten words rotting in servers across
\nthe globe. Decades from now, they will probably still be there,
\nobediently waiting for their long-deceased masters to return. Is
\nyour desk littered with notes jotted with log-on and password
\ncombinations to applications and favorite web sites?<\/p>\n
In the space of just a few years, most online people have gone
\nfrom password-free lives to password overload. I now have ATM
\npasswords, Internet access passwords, calling card passwords,
\nvoice-mail passwords, a Windows 98 password; the list goes on and
\non. The list has become so cumbersome that I have been driven
\nbackward into old technology to deal with it. On my wall are two
\nprinted pages of log-ins, usernames and passwords.<\/p>\n
Password suggestions<\/p>\n
There are some good suggestions on ways to remember the
\ngrowing problem of passwords. One solution is to use the same ID
\nand password combination at every site. But that's not very
\nsecure; if a password thief is on to you, they'll grab all your
\neggs in no time. Besides, you'll have to change your log-on at
\nevery site if you change your password on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
Here is a variation on that theme. Think of a person or pet in
\nyour life and use it to create slightly unique passwords
\neverywhere. Say your dog's is named Brino. Your password to log
\non to your computer could be "brinocomp001". To check your e-
\nmail, the password could be "brinoemail002" and so forth. Not a
\nbad idea.<\/p>\n
One of my friends said he put all his passwords in a computer
\nfile and gave the file a mysterious name. That way he can open
\nthe file any time he is online and needs a password quickly.
\nInteresting, but not very secure. Other users who use the same
\ncomputer might know the file name and may try to break the code.
\nThere are many code-password breakers from hackers' software on
\nthe Internet.<\/p>\n
A colleague proposed creating passwords based on your favorite
\nthings -- your favorite fruit, sports team, etc. Use the first
\nletter from each to make up the password. This might work for
\nsome people, but there's got to be something better you can do.
\nAnother Internet friend said he maintains a free e-mail account
\nand uses it only to keep e-mails he sends himself that contain
\npasswords and other account information for accounts he sets up.<\/p>\n
"Risky?" he asked. "Sure, but what isn't?"<\/p>\n
Here's a good one, my brother suggested thinking up a sentence
\nthat has a personal meaning. Then, use the first letter from each
\nword to create the password. Example: "My father was born on
\n3\/7\/42" would create the password "mfwbo3742." An idea with some
\nmerit.<\/p>\n
'WebPasskey' passwords<\/p>\n
I have seen, but not used, password-type programming that
\npromise that you will never forget a password or login name
\nagain. Most of these types of programs seem to be a simple
\ndatabase that gives you the option of setting your login name and
\npassword into a column that you are later able to go to and look
\nup which ones you have forgotten. Most of them also offer the
\nsame protection for your password program by also listing it in
\nthe database. Anything out there that could help you more
\neffectively manage all your passwords?<\/p>\n
Micro System Designs (http:\/\/www.maxlock.com) makes a program
\ncalled WebPassKey. It watches where you browse the Net and
\nremembers passwords and login names automatically. On your next
\nvisit, it automatically enters the information for you.<\/p>\n
WebPasskey requires Windows and works with Netscape or
\nExplorer browsers. The software also can be used to store
\npasswords for other applications.<\/p>\n
You have to admit that a program like this could prove
\ninvaluable, or you could always sign up again on each site you
\nlike and try to remember each name and password. Naturally, a
\nprogram of this stature is going to cost, but it is shareware.
\nYou can use it for 30 days and continue to use it after the 30
\ndays are past. But then, you cannot enter any more information
\ninto the program and it will be worth what you paid for it.<\/p>\n
WebPasskey automatically captures and stores usernames and
\npasswords. Then the next time you come to a location requiring
\nyou to log in, WebPasskey automatically fills in the blanks for a
\nsmooth entry experience. WebPasskey accomplishes this by actively
\nmonitoring your Web browsing for passwords. When you return,
\nWebPasskey enters everything automatically. The program is so
\nsimple to use that even you are not even aware of its existence.<\/p>\n
So how does WebPasskey protect all your passwords? You need a
\npassword. WebPasskey encrypts all your passwords and access to
\nthem requires a master password, which is like a master key to
\nunlock all the doors in one house. Hey, at least now you only
\nhave to remember one. If you want a printout of all your
\npasswords, they can be scrambled so only the owner can decipher
\nthem. WebPasskey's tiny text option lets you print out a
\nmatchbook-sized password list just in case you need a password
\naway from your computer system. If you tire of trying to come up
\nwith a password, WebPasskey will even create them randomly for
\nyou.<\/p>\n
So, if entering login information is part of your daily
\nInternet routine, give WebPasskey a try, you won't know how you
\ngot along without it.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/webpasskey-a-password-passport-for-net-travelers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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