Pro tip: That Target data breach in 2013 made me rethink my whole password system

I worked retail at a Target in Minneapolis when the breach happened, and seeing how easily they got into our payment system was wild. Now I'm torn between using a password manager with 20+ character random passwords or just keeping it simple with a few strong passwords I actually remember. What do you guys do for your personal accounts after something like that shook your trust?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam10d ago

Good for you for rethinking things after that Target mess. A few years ago I'd have said just pick a couple strong passwords and you're fine, but that breach changed my mind completely. Having one password for my email and another for banking felt solid until I realized how many other accounts were tied to those. Now I use a password manager mostly because I caught myself using the same basic password for ten different sites and that scared me straight. A sticky note in the kitchen cabinet beats reusing "Password2020" across everything, but I still keep a short list of my most critical ones written down somewhere safe.

the_jennifer10d ago

Wait, is a 47-character password actually more secure or just harder to remember? I mean, yeah a long one is better than a short one, but most password managers let you autofill anyway so you don't even have to know what it says. But honestly, Beth, I think the sticky note inside the cabinet is probably fine for the big stuff. Real talk though, the part about needing a reset every time you want takeout made me laugh because that's exactly how I was until I just gave up and memorized my food delivery password out of pure laziness. The irony is that the one password I actually remember is for the least important site I use.

beth_reed11d ago

My password manager is basically a glorified list of passwords I can't pronounce, which is fine because I can't remember them anyway. After Target I went full paranoid mode and now I'm convinced my 47-character gibberish password is safer than my actual memory. Your mileage may vary but honestly I just write the really important ones on a sticky note inside my kitchen cabinet, which probably defeats the whole purpose. Nothing like needing a password reset every time I want to order takeout because I can't find the sticky note.