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0 pointsmarshray1y ago0 comments

Much of the advice around passwords comes from time-sharing systems and predates the internet.

Rules like "don't write passwords down," "don't show them on the screen", and "change them every N days" all make a lot more sense if you're managing a bank branch open-plan office with hardwired terminals.

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01HNNWZ0MV43FF1y ago

It's funny, writing passwords down is excellent advice on today's Internet.

Physical security is easy, who's gonna see inside your purse? How often does that get stolen? Phones and laptops are high-value targets for thieves, and if they're online there could be a vuln. Paper doesn't have RCE.

(That said, I use KeePass, because it's nice to have it synced and encrypted. These days only my KeePass password is written down.)

II2II1y ago

I was going to say such advice does have its limits. Then I remembered something: even though my current credit card does have a chip, the design suggests that it is primarily intended as a record of a "user id" and "password" (e.g. large easy to read numbers, rather than the embossed numbers intended to make impressions upon carbon copy forms that typically became impossible to read with wear).

j16sdiz1y ago

Not exactly. Some transactions are cryptographically authenticated. "The algorithm" looks at those bits. Transactions with proper chips authentication are less likely to be flagged as fraud

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