Use A Unique, Secure Email Address Solely For Password Recovery


Keeping your passwords safe can be tricky. Social engineering attacks make it easy for nefarious types to easily acquire access to your accounts. One way to lower the risk is to have a special email address solely for recovering passwords.

That idea is suggested by Mat Honan, the Wired writer who achieved infamy after having his accounts hacked earlier this year, explains the approach:

If a hacker knows where your password reset goes, that’s a line of attack. So create a special account you never use for communications. And make sure to choose a username that isn’t tied to your name-like m****[email protected] it can’t be easily guessed.

This is actually very easy to do and potentially requires no effort beyond creating an email account. If you never forget your passwords, you’ll never have to log in and check the account. If you ever do, it’s not a big deal. For more great tips, and a wonderfully thorough article that explains the problem with password security in-depth, check out the full post over at Wired.

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can’t Protect Us Anymore [Wired]


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