On Passwords

So “hackers” got into Paris Hilton’s T-Mobile account because the password she used was “Tinkerbell” — the name of her Chihuahua. The task was made easier because the T-Mobile Web site offered a password hint, “What is your favorite pet’s name?”

Duh.

One more time, the importance of a decent password raises its head. For heaven’s sake, don’t use a common word or something obvious.

Three quick ideas:

Use the license plate of your first car, which is likely a combination of letters and numbers — 85JJO or 173-KQB.

Use a friend or spouse’s name and phone number with punctuation: 867-Jenny-5309.

Use your first pet’s name and the house number where you lived: Terri5819.

What’s nice about all of these is that you can leave yourself detailed hints without giving anything away, e.g., “First dog plus Queens house number” or “Pontiac plate.” You have a bit more security, but don’t have to worry about remembering something like HGX1267Qw7Hb.