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The most important thing you can do to protect your identity

Posted by Kim on February 21, 2012, 11:21am

Over the past few weeks I have had to help a large number of people deal with the aftermath of stolen accounts. This is a process that takes hours for every compromised account.

In all of these cases, the password to get into the RPR had been taken from their email account -- or worse, their email password was the same password that they use for every other account in the world.

If the idea of someone stealing every account on every site, game and bank that you use doesn't appeal to you, the most important step you can take right now is to make sure that the password you use for your email is different than everything else. Period. Don't reuse it for anything.


Because if you use the same password for your email as everything else, all it takes to lose everything forever is for you to sign in to a single insecure site. If your passwords aren't already sitting in your inbox, all a thief has to do is request a new password be sent to that email address and they can go wherever they want.

Your email password is the key to your entire identity. Keep it secret, keep it safe!

Comments

Lorvilran

February 22, 2012
1:16pm

Lol keeping things in a book doesn't work out for people like me, but I keep everything on a notepad doc as it's less likely to be lost.

Foedus

February 22, 2012
12:59am

I can most definitely attest that it's a good idea NOT to use the same passwords for everything. If you can't remember your various passwords, keep them in a small book in your house. It helps me now ^^;

Shawn

February 21, 2012
10:36pm

There's no downward pointing arrow, but, yes! What Dylan said!

And don't give out your passwords/make them something that is easily guessed by someone who knows you! Your friend today may be gone tomorrow and NOW THEY HAVE YOUR PASSWORDS!!!!!111! 1!

Dylan

February 21, 2012
4:35pm

I am so, so very glad that this issue was taken care of!

This only shows that having a variety of passwords for different sites, programs, and games is incredibly important.