Pin/Password best practices

blicero

Hello,
Wondering how you manage to balance a secure and practical unlocking method, particularly with multiple profiles with different authentication.

As far as I know,

a pin should be at least 6 digits
a dice ware password should be at least 7 words (90 bits entropy)

How do you stay secure and still have some practicality in an often unlocked device? There must be a compromise I suppose. Forgetting your credentials is fairly dangerous from a data loss angle but should not be much of an issue as you'll be using them often .

Thanks

evalda

blicero I find it useful to write down password reminders on a piece of paper stored somewhere safe. Not the actual password/PIN but a reminder that makes sense to you but not necessarily to a random attacker. If you speak more than one language be creative mixing them

Orange

Not that my setup is perfect, but what I use is:
PIN: I generate random 6 numbers using password manager, and store it there for a while. Once I manage to remember it, I add one digit to it every now and then. But most of the time, I treat this like any other password.
Password: Password manager. I come up with one fairly secure password, and use it to log in to Bitwarden. All other passwords are generated with password generator in it.

KeePass is also good, especially if you prefer going offline. Perhaps you can use that dice to generate a secure and long password of 5 words (I'm pretty sure 5 is enough given the word pool is large enough), and use that for password manager.

evalda

Somewhat relevant https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/4727-graykey-countermeasures/3

bettysweetss

I've found that using a mix of methods works best for me. For example, I stick with a 6-digit pin for quick access, which is simple but still secure enough for daily use. When I need something stronger, I create longer passwords using the diceware method.

bettysweetss

bettysweetss
I used to forget my passwords often, so I started using a password generator from this site link. It helps me create random pins and passwords that are both secure and easy to remember. This way, I can stay organized without risking data loss. It’s all about finding what feels right for your routine and sticking to it!

[deleted]

Make passwords human simple not computer orientated with loads of digits, numbers and punctuation,
Look at the house across the road and describe it, number86hasabluedoorandfourwindows.

Forgot your password look out your window for a prompt, unless they decorate!

de0u

[deleted] https://xkcd.com/936/