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Be Careful What You Ask For: a Lesson in Password Security

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Password security is no joke. If you have ever struggled to bolster the strength of your passwords or had difficulty remembering them, you can appreciate the frustration that often accompanies password maintenance.

Toby Turner, comedian, YouTube celebrity and entrepreneur, recently posted this hilarious video rant about his frustration with password security requirements (apologies for the 20 seconds of personal promotion by Turner at the end of his videos):

Funny, especially since all of his accounts were hacked just one month later (the link is a second YouTube video he posted relating his sad turn of events)!

As IT professionals, we understand the importance of robust and ever-changing passwords. However, it is valuable to take a look at things from a customer perspective. “Passwords by themselves are not cutting in today’s IT,” says Derek Spransy (IT Security). Two-factor authentication, such as using an RSA token with a password, may be the next wave in password security. “Ultimately, we will probably see an expansion in the use of two-factor authentication in order to address the weaknesses inherent in passwords,” added Derek.

In the meantime, Toby’s experience provides valuable lessons for us all.


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