Implementing Database Security and Auditing: Includes ... - ADReM

4.3 Choose strong passwords 113
Figure 4.5
A good password
gone bad.
Don’t:
Use the same password (even if it is strong) all over the place. At some
point in time you will probably give it to someone, and if you use it
in 50 different systems you have just given access to all 50 systems;
you are also less likely to be willing to change all 50 passwords.
Use the username as the password or any permutation of the login
name (e.g., username spelled backward).
Use words that can be looked up in a dictionary because they will
appear in password cracker files.
Use information that is easily obtained, such as your mother’s maiden
name, your children’s names, or your pet’s name.
Use dates (such as your hiring date).
One other word of caution: you should strive for a strong password that
you can remember. If you cannot remember your passwords, you will end
up posting it on a sticky note or writing it down next to your computer, in
which case you’re back to square one. Figure 4.5 is a photo I took showing a
“strong” database password that a developer found difficult to remember
(which I blurred and marked out for obvious reasons). This, of course,
never happens in your environment. ☺
Chapter 4