Shenan
Wed Aug 03 22:17:05 CDT 2005
leslie wrote:
> Recently people have been telling me I was on the computer when I was
> not even near one. I have been told that someone must have access to
> my password to do this. My computer has a program that must run to
> check for virus's once every day at a certain time. Is it possible
> that when the virus checker powers up the computer it is signing me
> in automatically? Or how else could this be happening.
Why ask.. Change all your passwords.
Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):
Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !, :)
Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Moved to new home in 2004'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Mv2n3whmN04'
The suggested time to change passwords varies, but I will throw out a 'once
in every 3 to 6 months for every account you have.'
And just running a scheduled task to scan for viruses wouldn't log you on,
check your email or open your Instant Messenger.
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html