Comments on: What’s The Password? http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/ The official blog of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:31:08 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Kathleen http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-6241 Kathleen Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:29:09 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-6241 The thing about all this security is that, for the most part, I don't have a lot to protect. The reason why most of us can't find a perfect place in our brains to memorize fifteen different passwords is because all anyone is going to get access to on our work computers is audience mail (maybe), a bunch of corporate memos, and the meaningless (to anyone else) back-and-forth that makes up my job. Financial info, yeah, it's worth protecting and I'm happy for that kind of security. My e-mail, I don't see the point. I suppose if you can get into my e-mail, the logic is you can work your way back to something that's really important if you wanted to take the trouble. I imagine most people would rather hack into a bank or a government department. The thing about all this security is that, for the most part, I don’t have a lot to protect. The reason why most of us can’t find a perfect place in our brains to memorize fifteen different passwords is because all anyone is going to get access to on our work computers is audience mail (maybe), a bunch of corporate memos, and the meaningless (to anyone else) back-and-forth that makes up my job. Financial info, yeah, it’s worth protecting and I’m happy for that kind of security. My e-mail, I don’t see the point. I suppose if you can get into my e-mail, the logic is you can work your way back to something that’s really important if you wanted to take the trouble. I imagine most people would rather hack into a bank or a government department.

]]> By: mike http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5922 mike Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:47:08 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5922 As I was saying about the Vancouver phone password before being rudely interrupted: I and other people were told to keep the default password to make it easier to job share. As I was saying about the Vancouver phone password before being rudely interrupted:

I and other people were told to keep the default password to make it easier to job share.

]]> By: mike http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5917 mike Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:06:21 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5917 >>Even today, at least in Vancouver, there’s a simple default password for everyone’s voicemail box >>Even today, at least in Vancouver, there’s a simple default password for everyone’s voicemail box

]]> By: Kev http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5909 Kev Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:52:24 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5909 I can remember maybe 5 randomly-generated passwords (the only kind worth having). If using an encrypted db with a ridiculously long passphrase means I can have 30 or 40 random passwords, thereby eliminating the crudest of attacks, that's a decent tradeoff. Unfortunately security is all about tradeoffs. I can remember maybe 5 randomly-generated passwords (the only kind worth having). If using an encrypted db with a ridiculously long passphrase means I can have 30 or 40 random passwords, thereby eliminating the crudest of attacks, that’s a decent tradeoff. Unfortunately security is all about tradeoffs.

]]> By: DAVE http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5908 DAVE Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:37:45 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5908 Shouldn't users be tasked with remembering their own user names and passwords? Like I told the lawyer in charge of security at the bank after I took over his computer in front of his very eyes... security is an illusion. Why is it my friend was able to take over a hydro-electric damn with his laptop from inside the hydro network is beyond me. So storing passwords in a DB makes me nervous, just my 2 ¢. Shouldn’t users be tasked with remembering their own user names and passwords? Like I told the lawyer in charge of security at the bank after I took over his computer in front of his very eyes… security is an illusion.

Why is it my friend was able to take over a hydro-electric damn with his laptop from inside the hydro network is beyond me. So storing passwords in a DB makes me nervous, just my 2 ¢.

]]> By: Tod Maffin http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5907 Tod Maffin Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:48:11 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5907 Even today, at least in Vancouver, there's a simple default password for everyone's voicemail box (no I won't reveal it here). Not many people change it from the default. If you know the "secret", you can listen to lots of people's voicemails. Even today, at least in Vancouver, there’s a simple default password for everyone’s voicemail box (no I won’t reveal it here). Not many people change it from the default. If you know the “secret”, you can listen to lots of people’s voicemails.

]]> By: Tod Maffin http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5906 Tod Maffin Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:47:11 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5906 Oh, one more thing. When I was producing for DNTO, I did a piece on how easy it was to hack systems. I hired a "white hat hacker" to try to hack into CBC's content management system. He did it in ten minutes. Username: remote Password: control We could have changed the front news page of cbc.ca if we wanted to. (Don't think I wasn't tempted!) And this, my friends, is why strong passwords (with uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols) is important. Oh, one more thing. When I was producing for DNTO, I did a piece on how easy it was to hack systems. I hired a “white hat hacker” to try to hack into CBC’s content management system.

He did it in ten minutes.

Username: remote
Password: control

We could have changed the front news page of cbc.ca if we wanted to. (Don’t think I wasn’t tempted!)

And this, my friends, is why strong passwords (with uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols) is important.

]]> By: Blake http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5904 Blake Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:22:11 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5904 Having to memorize over 30 usernames and passwords is just not possible. Plus with the employee churn rate we have here, it would be impossible to remember a new set of over 30 usernames and passwords each time an employee leaves. <blockquote><strong><i>Tod replies:</i> Back when the Roundup was on the air, the password to the show was <em>username: roundup , password: sadgoat</em>. "Sad goat" was a common theme on the show. Pretty much ANYONE could have had access to all the show's emails and stuff, even from the outside world. Oddly, since it was such an easy one to guess, I guess nobody even bothered to try it!</strong></blockquote> Having to memorize over 30 usernames and passwords is just not possible. Plus with the employee churn rate we have here, it would be impossible to remember a new set of over 30 usernames and passwords each time an employee leaves.

Tod replies: Back when the Roundup was on the air, the password to the show was username: roundup , password: sadgoat. “Sad goat” was a common theme on the show. Pretty much ANYONE could have had access to all the show’s emails and stuff, even from the outside world. Oddly, since it was such an easy one to guess, I guess nobody even bothered to try it!

]]> By: Michael Tyas http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5902 Michael Tyas Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:44:28 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5902 Soo....what's the password again? Soo….what’s the password again?

]]> By: DAVE http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password/comment-page-1/#comment-5896 DAVE Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:45:34 +0000 http://www.insidethecbc.com/whats-the-password#comment-5896 Hmmmm that's insane and goes against all notions of security as I understand it. Passwords should be memorized only, never written down anywhere, analogue or digital. Users are already dumb enough to give me their passwords to bank transaction software without even checking who I am over the phone, having passwords stored somewhere sounds deeply wacky to me. Hmmmm that’s insane and goes against all notions of security as I understand it. Passwords should be memorized only, never written down anywhere, analogue or digital. Users are already dumb enough to give me their passwords to bank transaction software without even checking who I am over the phone, having passwords stored somewhere sounds deeply wacky to me.

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