TriNetre - Archive for January 08, 2004
(no longer updated)
January 08, 2004
Sharing passwords
[Technology]
@ 09:45 AM
The title might sound strange, but there comes times when you want others, especially people close to you to know your passwords. This article covers one of the scenarios - when someone dies. There are other times too, say when you are on the road and having no access to your emails, you might want your wife/husband/gf/bf to check for some important email or settle the utility bill etc.
One of the ways I overcome this problem is to store the details I think I will need my wife to access, using Password Safe. I then share with her my pass-phrase to the database. Another more 'primitive' way to share the information would be to write them down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere safe, a bank locker being one such place.
Using some common passwords would make the sharing easier. It will also make it easier for your relatives to guess them. Well, that could be for good or for bad! I personally will not recommend such an escape route because the whole purpose of a password will be nullified. For example, if you use the same username and password for your online bank account and say for some free email account. Since you have no idea how the backend of the email provider saves the username and password (plaintext or encrypted), you cannot trust the safety of the information. If the username and password of the email account is leaked, your banking account is at risk too.