julia92•10d agoTop Commenter

My friend called my old password system 'security theater' and it stung

For years I'd just add a '1' or '!' to the end of my old passwords when a site made me change them, thinking it was fine. My friend, who works in IT, saw me do it and said 'Dude, that's just security theater, you're not actually making it stronger.' I felt dumb but he was right, so I switched to using a proper password manager with random strings for everything. How do you guys handle making yourself actually create unique passwords without getting lazy about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_cooper10d ago

Your friend was blunt, but he did you a favor. Using a password manager is the right move. What was the final straw that made you decide to set it up? Was it just his comment, or had you been thinking about it for a while?

paul_morgan10d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, the "final straw" thing is real. My buddy Matt had been using the same simple password for years, just adding a number when sites made him change it. Then his Netflix got hacked and someone watched three seasons of a show he hated. He realized if they got that, they could try the same password on his email or bank. That was the moment. He set up a manager that weekend, said it felt like a weight off his shoulders.