the_olivia•1mo agoOG Member

My dad's advice about password security finally clicked after 10 years

Last Sunday I was helping my 70 year old dad update his iPad. He pulled out a little notebook with over 50 passwords written down. I started to lecture him about password managers but he stopped me and said 'Olivia, I've been using the same 4 passwords since 1998. This notebook is safer than my old system.' That really hit me hard. He had a point - any improvement is better than none for someone who refuses to learn new tech. The notebook is locked in a fire safe now, which is way better than the sticky note he used to keep on his monitor. Has anyone else had luck getting older relatives to upgrade their security habits one small step at a time?

4 comments

4 Comments

price.ben1mo ago

My buddy Tom tried to get his mom onto a password manager about two years ago. She just kept saying she didn't trust putting all her stuff in one digital basket. So he compromised and bought her a nice little locking box with a combination lock that she could keep in her desk drawer. She still writes passwords on index cards, but at least they're not taped to the side of her monitor anymore.

gavin4691mo ago

Does she actually remember the combo for that lockbox most of the time, or does she end up calling him when she can't get it open? I've seen that happen with older relatives where the physical lock ends up being its own kind of headache. Just curious if the trade-off of no screen is worth the extra hassle for her.

irisowens1mo ago

That combo lockbox idea works great in theory but yeah, I've seen the same thing happen with my aunt. She got one of those little lockboxes for her passwords but then she'd forget the combo at the worst times, like when she needed to pay a bill online. The box ended up in her closet and she just went back to sticky notes on the bottom of her keyboard. The key is probably to pick a combo that means something to her like her house number or a birthday, something she can't really forget. Otherwise you just trade one headache for another.

dixon.james1mo ago

Sounds like overkill for some Netflix passwords.