True Story.
Private school recently implemented/installed new computers and gave them passwords for security so only those authorized Teachers could get into the computers. In the Auditorium/Cafeteria there is a computer attached to a projector and one of the Teachers needed to get into the system and said to the Principal, “hey I need to get into this system”
There in the filled Auditorium/Cafeteria with children in the room... the Principal loudly said across the room for all to hear....
“The password is .....”
And now everyone in the room knew the password.
So simple really... it's something that should be private. And yet so quickly it's lost it's value. Once it's known by all, it's auditability, it's accountability, all of it's value is gone.
Passwords are a foundation of our Computer security and yet just today...when I asked someone to think of a password for an online research site, he hemmed and hawed and couldn't think of a solid password. You know we keep saying that our Software vendors need to learn secure coding techniques...maybe WE need to go to “password” classes.
Eric's blog the other day had a story about passwords and security and how little it was valued.
Passwords 101. In my mind we can't teach it soon enough...to all of us out here.