jmc

Quick! What's your HHplace password?

No, don't tell me, keep it secret. But no matter how secret it is, if somebody can guess it then it's not secure at all. We have had an instance where a member's account was hijacked by a cracker and we suspect this was done by guessing the member's password. The cracker has been shut down but we are confident that more attempts will be made.

Please spend a couple of minutes to think about your password. It should be very unlikely that anybody would be able to guess it from any publicly - available information about you (such as your username, anything in your profile, any recurring themes in your postings or material you have posted on other sites).

Of course it should be easy to remember, this usually means it should be based on some personal information that is important to you.

If you are using your username as a password **Please Change It NOW!!!**

Other bad ideas for passwords:

> Your username spelled backwards (any self-respecting cracker would guess that in less than 5 seconds.)

> HHplace (come on, where are we).

> Given this site, "highheels" or "high-heels".

> "asdf", "qwerty", "xzyzzk"

> "password" (Oh, please!)

> Your favorite shoe style or make, if you have or intend to mention it here.

In the past it has been suggested that you encrypt your password by shifting your fingers up or over one row when you type it. In this way, "password" becomes "-qww294e" (by shifting my fingers up one row on the "qwerty"
keyboard). That's pretty cryptic but crackers know this technique too. They can bang it out in mere seconds, then they are into your account.

It has also been suggested to substitute numbers and punctuation for letters. Trouble here is, l@@k h0w th3 curr3n7 g3n3r4710n wr1735 txt msgs*. They've "been there, done that" already. In spades. (*Need a
translation for that gibberish a couple of sentences back? It's "look at how the current generation writes text messages".)

Please put some thought into selecting a secure password. Your mother's maiden name, the name of your first pet, your first phone number or the like may be good candidates -- provided this information is not too well-known. It is also a good idea to combine a couple of words or numbers from different areas of your life -- like the cute little name you call your spouse + the price tag on your most expensive pair of heels! Be creative. (Generally, any word listed in the dictionary is not a good password candidate.)

(By the Way, all of these password comments apply to any other password-protected online services you use.)

To change your password:

Go to "User CP" --> "Edit Email & Password"

Type your current password in the first box and your new password in the second and third boxes. Hit "Save Changes" and you're good to go.

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Have a happy time!