These days Online security is very important for small and big companies. For better security manage online accounts in 20222 and be safe from all kind of attackers. We’re constantly hearing new and updated tips on how to manage online accounts, but sometimes we’re dealing with more than just passwords when it comes to security. Some sites require answers to multiple security questions that can then be used to verify your account or recover lost passwords.
In recent years, experts have reconsidered the use of safety questions, which can tell you to remember personal things, such as the name of your pet or the first street you lived on. On the one hand, these may be easy to answer, but they may give you a false sense of security.
There are some classic questions that come up again and again, such as “What is your mother’s first name?” The biggest problem with this type of question is that the answers are easy to find. Your mother’s first name is probably the subject of public records, and only by knowing the name of your high school can a thief identify the mascot.
Like the infamous Yahoo data breach, hackers are also able to access user security questions and answers, including access to user accounts. So how do we better protect our security questions? One possible way is to lie about your answers, but it also has some potential flaws.
Google’s views on security issues
A survey by Google researchers concluded that “secret queries typically provide a level of security that is much lower than a user-selected password.” It also exposes a problem where people lie about their answers and then forget the created answers, making it more difficult for them to recover forgotten passwords.
Finally, the researchers say, “We have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to find confidential questions, both safe and memorable.” Although Google Research is not optimistic about such questions, they are being used for many websites, so we need to optimize.
How to handle your security answers
Now back to the idea of lying about your answers. How can you ask these kinds of questions in a more secure way without forgetting your hypothetical answers?
One solution is to use a password manager, which allows you to use hard-to-crack passwords without having to remember each one. Most password managers allow you to keep secure notes. Here you can save the answer you created. Click here for details on Kim’s choice of password manager, RoboForm.
If you do not use the password manager, make sure you come up with a fake answer that you can repeat later. For example, if the question asks your mother’s first name, you can use your grandmother’s middle name or the first name of your favourite celebrity instead.
If the site gives you the option to create your own security question, take advantage of it and come up with vague questions that will not be easy for you when searching online or looking at your Facebook or Twitter profile.
You might go for something like, “What’s the name of your fictional childhood friend?” Or “Which band’s poster was on your wall in college?”
Security questions may one day become obsolete, but in the meanwhile, it is wise to take some steps to keep your answers as safe as possible. This is a time when lying a little is perfectly acceptable.