Talk:Password

message: I removed the following text:
:A possible way by which one could get away with having one's password written down would be to have it written in a place in a list of false passwords.  If one uses a weak password, the list should be full of false week passwords.  If one uses a strong passwords, false strong passwords should be used.  Thus, instead of having to recall a seemingly random alphanumeric string, one needs only remember what login goes with which password.  Numbering the list can help with that.  However, this measure should be taken if there is no other way for the user to remember his or her password.
I don't think this is good advice. If you have a list of passwords and non-passwords, you are dramatically reducing the number of passwords that need to be checked. "Never write down a password" is better and more straightforward advice.
--Huppybanny 21:54, Aug 16, 2004 (UTC)
: I agree with this removal (in fact, I'd planned to do it myself when I came in today...); has any security expert endorsed  this idea? — Matt 23:41, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text:  I agree having a list of false passwords does not provide good cover and is not significantly more secure than having the password written down.  However, "Never write down a password" is not strictly correct.  It depends on your threat model.  Peter 03:38, 18 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text:  Indeed; writing down your password can provide better security in many situations. Schneier: "You can't memorize good enough passwords any more, so don't bother. Create long random passwords, and write them down. Store them in your wallet, or in a program like Password Safe. Guard them as you would your cash." (emph mine)  — Matt 02:29, 19 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Matt, Much as I admire Schneier, I think he's wrong on this. Password Safe (his freeware password database program) is probably very good and all, and 'long random passwords' are certainly good in many respects, but anything which lets the user shuffle off his responsibilities to safeguard these little chunks of key data to something or someone else is wrong psychologically. Even if PSafe were to be perfect, it would still be bad advice. We h sap don't do this sort of stuff very well, and apparently need have our noses rubbed in it more or less continuously to do even as well as we can. Peter's observation above about dependence on your threat model is quite relevant. Missing in Schneier's comment, and exceptionally hard to sensibly apply, but quite relevant. ww 16:34, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, it does depend on the threat model. We're happy to carry around keys to things like cars and houses on our person; this is considered an acceptable risk, even though there's a chance the keys could be stolen. In many cases passwords protect less valuable information (think Hotmail). For these cases, why is it a horrendous security failing to write down a password and keep it in your wallet? There's a compelling argument to use an unguessable password stored in your wallet rather than memorise a guessable password. Regardless, getting back to the article, we clearly need to modify statements such as "most observers regard written down passwords as necessarily insecure".  — Matt 07:13, 21 Aug 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: "Writing down passwords" suggestion

message: It appears that Microsoft's Jesper Johanssen thinks that users should write down passwords. See . Perhaps we should note this? - Ta bu shi da yu 07:24, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: We already do. See "Likelihood that a password can be remembered."  Wikipedia had this advice before Mr. Johanssen's remarks. --agr 10:43, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Writing down password - security flaw or not? 

message: I take it that the password was named after the popular game show? Or is this an urban legend? Are there any known uses of the word prior to the early 60s? MightyArms (talk) 22:15, 7 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Name? 

message: The article begins with "A password, sometimes called a passcode (for example in Apple devices), ..." which suggests that Apple uses passcode as a synonym for password. That is not the case. An Apple iCloud account has a username and password while the unlock code for a iPhone is a passcode. An iphone passcode is not paired with a username or email.
Passwords, passcodes, and PINs are all secrets used for authentication, but are different in how and where they are used. 96.233.106.58 (talk) 21:04, 10 October 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Password and Passcode are not synonyms 

message: Might be useful to add some details about that. Wisdood (talk) 16:53, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  password stealer