Posts tagged as:

Smith-Barney


How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords

by John P.

User LoginIf you invited me to try and crack your password, you know the one that you use over and over for like every web page you visit, how many guesses would it take before I got it?

Let’s see… here is my top 10 list. I can obtain most of this information much easier than you think, then I might just be able to get into your e-mail, computer, or online banking. After all, if I get into one I’ll probably get into all of them.

  1. Your partner, child, or pet’s name, possibly followed by a 0 or 1 (because they’re always making you use a number, aren’t they?)
  2. The last 4 digits of your social security number.
  3. 123 or 1234 or 123456.
  4. “password”
  5. Your city, or college, football team name.
  6. Date of birth – yours, your partner’s or your child’s.
  7. “god”
  8. “letmein”
  9. “money”
  10. “love”

Statistically speaking that should probably cover about 20% of you. But don’t worry. If I didn’t get it yet it will probably only take a few more minutes before I do…
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PayPal to Offer Password Key Fobs to Users

March 14, 2007
Thumbnail image for PayPal to Offer Password Key Fobs to Users

In the recent past I’ve done a lot of harping on the security woes of financial institutions (see here, here, and here) so when I saw this announcement I was both extremely happy and a little disappointed at the same time. PayPal is about to issue SecureID cards to all business clients in order to [...]

Most Popular Banking Encryption Method Cracked

January 30, 2007
Thumbnail image for Most Popular Banking Encryption Method Cracked

According to the Epoch Times, in five years, the U.S. government will cease to use SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm) and convert to a new and more advanced “hash” algorithm, according to the article “Security Cracked!” from New Scientist. The reason for this change is that associate professor Wang Xiaoyun of Beijing’s Tsinghua University and Shandong [...]

Smith Barney Forces Clients to Change Login Names

January 20, 2007

Smith Barney recently began forcing it’s clients to change their Web login in what is claimed to be a “security enhancement” maneuver. This applies to every client in the US that has a joint account (ie- married couples). They are forcing this change in conjunction with the requirement of adding challenge questions and answers to [...]

War, the Middle East, and US Stocks

August 1, 2006

If you’re like me, you’re wondering what this war between Israel and Lebanon is going to do to the market here in the US. Fear not, Smith Barney’s Consulting Group has produced an article that attempts to answer just this question…