Tech Table Radio Show

Tech Table
Tuesday, June 24, 2014

June 24, 2014

Justin: Welcome to MPA’s Tech Table. I’m Justin.

Diana: And I’m Diana.

Justin: And we’re your hosts. We’ll be serving up a heaping spoonful of all things tech.

Diana: We promise it’ll be easy to digest.

Justin: It is Tuesday.

Diana: Yes.

Justin: Tech Tuesday on Tech Table.

Diana: Tech Tuesday. We talk about tech tips on Tech Tuesday.

Justin: Yes, we do, robotic Diana. So, you know, passwords and security. This is important and, boy, we have a lot of passwords now.

Diana: Yes.

Justin: You have passwords upon passwords.

Diana: Passwords for your passwords.

Justin: Exactly. It is incredible, and you’re not kidding.

Diana: No.

Justin: There are password holders. You know, websites or apps that hold all your passwords, you have to have passwords to.

Diana: Yes.

Justin: So we can say passwords upon passwords. It’s true. But you do have to keep secure on the Internet, and it is not easy. So, you know, it’s something you probably need to put more thought into than you do, in creating a password.

Diana: Yeah, a lot of times you just pick an easy-to-remember word and maybe a date, you know, and that’s just not safe anymore because there are people out there.

Justin: Right.

Diana: And programs, I should say, not just people but of course people make those programs.

Justin: Right.

Diana: And they just irritate me.

Justin: Oh.

Diana: I just think if they put their hard work and efforts to a good cause, imagine the good that would come.

Justin: That’s true, but criminals don’t have good things on their mind.

Diana: I guess not.

Justin: So, there are hackers, and they have really amazing software that they’ve developed, like Diana was talking about that, you know, they can figure out if you use the same password on multiple sites. I mean, think about what happens if they hack that, and they find that one password that you use on ten different sites, they have a lot of information from you.

Diana: Mm-hm.

Justin: So, you need to use variations. You know, many people create passwords based on their spouses’ names, a hobby, or a simple pattern because those types of passwords are easy to remember. Unfortunately, they’re also very easy for hackers to guess.

Diana: Yeah. So, we’ve put together a list of some tips here that are going to help you create stronger passwords.

Justin: Yes, a strong password.

Diana: Mm-hm.

Justin: So, never use personal information such as your name, birthday, or your spouse’s name.

Diana: Right, that personal information is often publicly available.

Justin: Exactly.

Diana: So people can just look it up.

Justin: Yes.

Diana: You want to use a longer password. It should be at least six characters long, and for extra security, you could go 12 characters. Honestly, if the site allows it, the more, the merrier.

Justin: Exactly, exactly, and you know, if you need to write down your passwords, keep them in a secure place. It’s even better if you encrypt your passwords. So, you know, use your own code.

Diana: Yeah.

Justin: Basically.

Diana: Or just write down hints for them, too.

Justin: Yeah, exactly.

Diana: Now, don’t use the same password for each account. We did mention that.

Justin: Right.

Diana: If someone happens to discover that one password, all of them are vulnerable.

Justin: That’s right. So, try to include numbers, symbols, and both lower- and uppercase letters if the site allows it. So, you really have to use, you know, a variety of many different things.

Diana: Yes, and try special characters, you know, like an asterisk or a question mark.

Justin: Yes.

Diana: You know, even as simple as a period some places.

Justin: That’s right. Exactly.

Diana: Yeah.

Justin: And avoid using words that can be found in the dictionary. For example, swimming1 would be a weak password.

Diana: Mm-hm.

Justin: Yeah.

Diana: Now, random passwords are the strongest. You can use a password generator instead of trying to think of one on your own.

Justin: That’s right.

Diana: Of course, that means it might be harder to remember. You might have to write it down and put it in your wallet, but.

Justin: Right, exactly, because some of them become very complicated.

Diana: Yeah, they do. They do.

Justin: Yeah, so there are a lot of ways. You just create your own unique way of having passwords and unique passwords, and that’s really very valuable, you know, and don’t use the same one on many sites.

Diana: Yes.

Justin: So, I know it’s hard to remember them. But, that’s for your own safety. That’s what you need to do. Absolutely. So, until next time.

Diana: Take care.

Justin: Tech Table is brought to you by MPA of Bloomfield, Iowa, and God’s Country Radio. You can visit us online at AskMPA.com.

Diana: If you have questions or comments, please send them to questions@askmpa.com. That’s questions@askmpa.com.

Justin: And thanks for listening.