Spyware Brigade

Everybody who is involved in internet marketing, or even provides registration details for anything requiring the provision of a user name and password, will eventually need some way of remembering them. Security is another problem that people have to think about, but their major problem is remembering the password.

It is not so much a problem when you start out in internet marketing and only have a dozen or so to remember! However, once you are established and are registered with a large number of newsletters, membership sites and other websites that require passwords and login details, then you will have to remember them all. If you are involved in article marketing, you have to register with each directory, and unless you use the same password for them all, you will have a lot of details to remember. Internet banking and credit card management especially have to be secure and require more details for you to remember than is normally required.

There are a number of ways in which you can do this. The obvious way is to put them all into an excel file and give it password protection, and this is what many people do. Most people also believe that nobody is really interested in most of your passwords and logins – it is your internet banking details that people will be more interested in, and a password database system will be of more use to you in that case than in any other. It will be worth it to you to obtain one.

A lot of people who use very weak passwords for most of what they consider non-critical logins are under the impression that all they have to lose is that somebody else will have free access to the membership site that they paid for. All they will lose is their login name and password for that site and all the hacker will get is a free newsletter!

Do they really think that hackers want their details to get a free newsletter that they could register for themselves? Or even to get access to your Private Label Membership site for some free software or ebooks? Get Real!

Hackers can get a lot of information about you from finding out your password and login details, and then using these details to log on to the particular site to which they relate. Once there using your name they can access your personal details. You will normally have provided details such a telephone number, address, full name and other details that others could use to set up a bank account or credit card in your name.

Don’t think that the fact that that new credit cards have to posted to your address stops them. What if the person doing it works for the postal company or even delivers your post? Stranger things have happened. What if there is a communal post box and that somebody using it has set you up or even stolen your details themselves? They could also arrange to have the credit card in your name sent to their place of work. All they do is look for your name in the mail. Company registered or special delivery mail is signed for by whoever is present at the time. Never make assumptions. Make it difficult.

You should not use the same user name too often. Perhaps you have a favourite name you use with a number behind. That’s easy to crack: just get your name and then add successive numbers until it works. In fact, there is a lot of software available that will help people to do that. It does not take long for it to find user names, especially if it can access your computer cache. The same is true of frequently used passwords, so you must use a strong password that provides no clue, even to its theme. Do not use birthdays, names or pop bands, all of which are common.

However, if you don’t use weak passwords that you can easily remember, you will need a means of remembering them, and an excel file is not the secure way to do it. There is only one way to keep as many login details and passwords as secure as you can, and that is to have a different login and different password for every need.

There are several password management software packages available online that you can use to store your details. Go for paid software, not freeware since you can never be use of the level of encryption with free software. Those that you pay for are more secure, and while the various options work in different ways, they all provide a similar service.

Your login details and passwords are encrypted and stored for each membership in which it is used. When you click on the login button, the software automatically logs you in without showing any details, except perhaps your login name. This type of software allows you to edit and change details as required, and can provide several logins for each membership.

Password management systems are far preferable to memory, pieces of paper or even Excel files for storage and security of login details. There are several available on the internet, and there is not a lot to choose between them. Make it hard for hackers!