Had a chat with a 15 year old that made me rethink my whole password setup

So my nephew came over last weekend and saw me logging into my bank. He asked why I still use the same password for everything. I said it was a strong one, 12 characters with numbers and symbols. He just laughed and showed me how long it would take to crack it on a simple website. Turns out my "strong" password would only take like 3 hours with a basic GPU setup. I got schooled by a kid who learned this from YouTube. Has anyone else had a younger relative completely change how you handle passwords?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan_ward13d ago

Have you thought about a password manager yet, or are you still trying to remember them all?

the_hayden13d ago

Getting shown up by a 15 year old is a rite of passage these days. That "strong" password feeling dies real fast when you see the math behind it. Kid probably saved you from getting cleaned out down the road though. Password managers are the only way now, it's not even worth trying to remember them yourself.

kimr9113d agoMost Upvoted

Buddy of mine had the same thing happen with his neighbor's kid.