[Save the world with better passwords]
Well, you probably won't save the world, but you'll make yourself more
secure. Passwords are almost always the weakest link in any security
system, and fairly soon we'll be asking all Riseup email users to change
their passwords to make sure everyone has "strong" passwords and are
less likely to get hacked. We've installed some software so it won't
allow for weak passwords. Why do we care so much?
If your account gets hacked, it effects not just you, but everybody you
have exchanged emails with, and all Riseup users. When one Riseup email
account gets hacked, it can lead to all Riseup email getting blocked,
since hackers usually use your email to spread spam and viruses.
It is more secure to write down your password in a secure place than to
use a password that is easy to crack. Also, don't use the same password
for all your accounts. You can use the same password for insecure logins
(for example: logins to news sites), but you should have unique
passwords for every secure login, such as Riseup email.
So how do you create a strong password that is easy to remember? Here
are two ideas:
Multiple words strung together, with numbers and uppercase letters, can
make a great password. For example: "k8isMymiddleName".
Create an acronym from a phrase that you like. For example, turn "The
Revolution Will Not Be Televised" into "tRw!nbTV".
And finally, never tell anyone your password, especially if they ask for
it. Don't tell your best friend, lover, parrot, or therapist. There is
no reason anyone should ever have it but you.
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