Totally random poll: Brilliant or paranoid?

melissa82

You know the security questions you have to answer on some websites (like online banking) in case you log in from another location? Like "Who was your favorite teacher?" or "What's the name of your first pet?" I found out that H purposely puts incorrect answers to create (what he believes is) an added layer of protection.

jchristel

That's great!  LOL  How does he remember the answers?

cherylanddan0706

I can't vote, but I would say I have contemplated that.  I NEVER use mothers maiden name as the answer or pets name, and if I do use pets name I use my cat from like 20 years ago, mostly if its something that has account information, bank, bill paying, not for like tk passwords or email passwords.

melissa82

That's what I said!

DMLJ

I would forget the answers!!

Julephenia

Ditto, Diane!

I HATE the mother's maiden name one, and I always yell at banks for it. It's my MIDDLE name, I have cousins where it is their FIRST name... y'know, the stuff that's on legal documents in the first place. Drives me NUTS.

mbcdefg

I think it's very smart. I'd just be afraid of forgetting the answers, like PPs said ... but if he can remember them, that's a good idea.

I just signed up for some online account recently (most of them, I've had for several years and picked a security question back then) and one of the security question options was, "When is your wedding anniversary?" I was super excited to pick that one! :P

jaimelody

I would forget what wrong answer I put.

Jaytee501

I can't believe I never thought of that but... but i would forget the answers; I'm not that bright!

uppereastgirl

Smart, but I would think he would forget it!!!  

My in-laws have a different password for every single thing, and they're all random, because they are afraid of the big bad internets.  I find that paranoid and frustrating, and it would make it very easy for someone who robbed their house (and stole the book where they have to write down every password and what it is for in order to remember) to do a LOT of damage.

hollyberry88

I do the same thing...and I always wrie down the answers and stick them in a file.  Of course, the file is at home, so if I am doing it from another computer, not my own, it will not help me much.

kewltif

It's smart but I would NEVER EVER remember it.  As it is I hate when I get random questions and I can't remember what I wrote down.  What was my first job? hmm... did I put down my first babysitting gig, first job in high school or first "real job"?

Partymixx27

I'd never remember them either, unless you use a stock answer to each one like "Duke".  Awesome idea, though, I would never have thought of it. 

I hope they change the mother's maiden name as a security answer, especially since nowadays not every woman takes her husband's last name. 

uppereastgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_totally-random-poll-brilliant-paranoid?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:3191a055-52d3-40e3-981a-24b79c85f0eaPost:92c124b5-360a-466f-bdfe-fb0b4e16c4a7">Re: Totally random poll: Brilliant or paranoid?</a>:
[QUOTE]It's smart but I would NEVER EVER remember it.  As it is I hate when I get random questions and I can't remember what I wrote down.  What was my first job? hmm... did I put down my first babysitting gig, first job in high school or first "real job"?
Posted by kewltif[/QUOTE]

<div>... and I hate how weird these questions get, to make them more secure.  I don't know who my favorite uncle is, or my favorite restaurant, and I can't remember alpha-numeric passwords that are different from my last 5 passwords.  So then I end up emailing myself the info so I can search for it later.  Which, considering that my gmail was hacked two weeks ago, is not that safe.</div>

Mye

I have an address book that I write all the answers/passwords to diff website in and I just keep it in my filing cabinet at home

kasabby

I think it is smart but same thing--I would never remember them!

USER876

I had to do that....my ebay was hacked and someone got the answers to my private questions....then they fished around email sites and were able to change passwords because they knew the answers to my secret questions.  Honestly, some of those questions are not that secret and anyone close to you would know the answers (name of pet, name of street you grew up on,etc).

So I use fake answers that no one else knows and keep a master list in a very secret place.

TuffysMommie

I put special snowflake - 

It's both paranoid and a good idea - but I would never remember the fake answers. I'd only remember the real answer, thus never being able to correctly sign in myself.

Lolyalyssa

I do all my passwords in a foreign lanuage with totally random words.  That's way no one could discover the password by trying randomly or knowing other facts about my life.