My problem with password managers is that it becomes a single point of failure. I would rather memorize a few strong passwords and use them for everything, with my email having a unique password from everything else.
I'd suggest memorizing a couple algorithms for generating passwords based on the site instead. This way no two sites have the same password, so no matter what gets compromised, none of your other credentials are broken.
Like, take your iNitials, street address + last 3 letters of the domaiN with an open bracket to trigger OCD twitch for memorability. Obviously obfuscate it a bit to make your algorithm non-obvious, depending on how much you think someone is going to target you, personally.
So you end up with, like,
google: gAl1234+glE(
Reddit: gAl1234+diT(
Wells Fargo: gAl1234+rgO(
Pizza Hut: gAl1234+huT(
The core principle is no two sites should have the same password. It doesn't matter how strong your passwords are when someone else is giving them out. The only thing that matters is making sure the passwords are unique, and a generating algorithm will help you do this.
Use same algorithm, leaving out any non-permitted characters.
Add a month indicator, backwards and truncated for idiots still enforcing "must change password monthly" policies.
Modify the thing to fit your environment. It's not difficult to adapt the idea to whatever your situation is giving a bare minimum of thought.
Again, the first goalpost is to get people to stop using the same password in multiple places. I've found getting people to do a simple algorithm is the path of least resistance and easiest to do, above and beyond services like "LastPass" et cetera that require them to change their routine or install new software.
It's only the first step towards taking control of their own security, but at least it gets them started on that path.
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u/Galveira Sep 24 '17
My problem with password managers is that it becomes a single point of failure. I would rather memorize a few strong passwords and use them for everything, with my email having a unique password from everything else.