Six Lines

The Only Secure Password

Posted by Aaron Massey on 02 Apr 2011.

Troy Hunt persuasively argues that the only secure password is the one you can’t remember. His post is the single best defense for using password management tools like 1Password. It’s a bit long, but it’s extremely thorough and readable. His basic thesis is summarized as follows:

Do you always create unique passwords such that you never use the same one twice? Ever?

Do your passwords always use different character types such as uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation? Are they “strong”?

If you can’t answer “yes” to both these questions, you’ve got yourself a problem. But the thing is, there is simply no way you can remember all your unique, strong passwords and the sooner you recognise this, the sooner you can embrace a more secure alternative.

Read the whole thing. It’s definitely worthwhile.