Spent 45 minutes helping a coworker undo a 'safe' password this morning

My coworker Jane had a password that was just 'password123' with a capital P, and she was so proud of it. I had to show her that a password manager generating random strings would actually be way more secure in the long run. Has anyone else had to walk someone through ditching their favorite weak password?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily701mo ago

Oh man, I feel this in my bones. I've had to talk so many people out of using their pet's name or their birthday as a password. The thing is, people get attached to what's easy for them to remember. But yeah, a password manager is a game changer once you get past the initial setup. Hopefully she listens and doesn't go back to her old ways in a week.

gavinwells1mo ago

Did you ever figure out what makes someone actually stick with the password manager after the initial frustration wears off? I ask because I've seen a few people start using one, then ditch it after a week because they couldn't remember the master password (which is ironic, right?). Seems like there's a real mental hurdle between setting it up and trusting it enough to make it a habit.

taylorellis1mo ago

Honestly, it reminds me of how people quit the gym after a week because they hate feeling awkward with the machines. Same hurdle just different setting. It's all about pushing through that first rough patch until it just becomes your normal.