In our highly regulated and technologically advanced society, we can't function without access to online this and that, telephone banking, work-based computer networks and internet access, ATMs, Social Security and everything else. And with each of these we are required to think of 'a 6 to 8 digit security passcode consisting of both upper and lower case characters, one of which must be a numeral and !@#$%^&*()_+ symbols are not allowed'...
Easy...just have the same passcode for everything...Wrong!! Some services allow you to keep the same password indefinitely. Others require you to change the password every 10 weeks or so. The new password is often not allowed to be the same as any of you previous 5 passwords and so it goes...
Easy...just have the same passcode for everything...Wrong!! Some services allow you to keep the same password indefinitely. Others require you to change the password every 10 weeks or so. The new password is often not allowed to be the same as any of you previous 5 passwords and so it goes...
I returned to my place of work after two and a half years leave. Before I left we could set our own passwords with the help of the school's network administrator. Now we have to do it through a centralised administrator via telephone - fortunately, not a call centre in Mumbay - and not only do we require a pass code to access the school network, we require a second completely different code to then access the internet from the school network. Needless to say, I've had my account disabled within a week owing to a lapse in memory.
Phoned my banking institute today to change the address on my account. The telephone robot, the one that asks you for answers and then apologises when it doesn't catch what you said because you started talking during a pause which you thought was your cue to speak but in fact was just the robot taking a breath before continuing to give further instructions about pressing hash, well, it asked me for my passcode. What pass code? The only option was to hold and I would be transfered to the next available customer service officer. Great! At least I can avoid the pass code problem and he (or she) can access my account for me if I simply give my full name, address and date of birth and ..."I also need your Telephone Banking Pass Code" !!!!
Long story short, customer sevice officer couldn't access my account - name, address and date of birth are no longer adequate security details - and advised me to go and visit my nearest branch.
Actually I did have a pass code set up for this particular institution when I first tried phoning them immediately after arriving home in Oz. Being security conscious, I didn't write it down. Well, I think I did but I put the paper I wrote it on somewhere no one would find it...and now I forget where it is.
So how do I get around this problem of endless pass codes? Simple...write them down with a clear indication of which institution they're for. Kind of defeats the purpose. I could try writing the pass codes in a different code...
Phoned my banking institute today to change the address on my account. The telephone robot, the one that asks you for answers and then apologises when it doesn't catch what you said because you started talking during a pause which you thought was your cue to speak but in fact was just the robot taking a breath before continuing to give further instructions about pressing hash, well, it asked me for my passcode. What pass code? The only option was to hold and I would be transfered to the next available customer service officer. Great! At least I can avoid the pass code problem and he (or she) can access my account for me if I simply give my full name, address and date of birth and ..."I also need your Telephone Banking Pass Code" !!!!
Long story short, customer sevice officer couldn't access my account - name, address and date of birth are no longer adequate security details - and advised me to go and visit my nearest branch.
Actually I did have a pass code set up for this particular institution when I first tried phoning them immediately after arriving home in Oz. Being security conscious, I didn't write it down. Well, I think I did but I put the paper I wrote it on somewhere no one would find it...and now I forget where it is.
So how do I get around this problem of endless pass codes? Simple...write them down with a clear indication of which institution they're for. Kind of defeats the purpose. I could try writing the pass codes in a different code...
2 comments:
if u use the same password for each service, if some dodgy website got hacked, or was not 100% legit, they could well get all the rest of your info from miscellaneous sites.
it's actually best practice to write down your passwords. i use a program called Keepass to keep all my passwords.
nothing's perfect, but i reckon my way of doing things is the best worst way to keep my info reasonably secure.
very true, John...Thanks for the link..I'll gave a look at it...yet another institution sent me a letter requesting that I apply for yet another passcode!! :-)
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