Graham Cluley at Sophos’s Naked Security Blog recently blogged about a crazy password infomercial and day-time TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres’ reaction to the late-night advert. The infomercial that caught the talk show host’s attention proves that you can always rely on late-night TV to try to sell you anything.
Ellen DeGeneres recently focused some attention on a product that claimed to solve a computer security problem experienced by many inner-webs users – how to remember your passwords. Here’s the link to the video below about the “Internet Password Minder”:
As one of the customers featured in the infomercial breathlessly explains:
"I don't have to worry anymore about security or identity theft... I now have all my passwords in one place. It's great"
Apparently, this is not a put-up by the “Ellen” show. As Ellen amusingly asks, wouldn’t it be cheaper to save money and write all your passwords on a $5 bill? You could even keep the (patent-pending – don’t steal the idea!) $5 bill password minder in your wallet if you liked – much more convenient than the book-sized Internet Password Minder!
Sophos offers a video explaining how to generate a tough, hard-to-crack password that is still easy to remember. If you can’t remember your passwords and have difficulty juggling different passwords for different websites, then Sophos recommends password management software like KeePass, 1Password or LastPass. I have covered the password issue many many many times before.
Mr. Cluley pointed comment on Ellen’s website from someone who claims to be the woman in the infomercial who no longer worries about identity theft.
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I don’t watch The Ellen Show (I work during the day), but I know my mom does so a hat-tip to Ellen for raising awareness of password security issues with her large TV audience in an amusing way.
Those of us charged with keeping our clients and parents safe from the cyber-malcontents on the Intertubes, need all the help we can get, even if is from as unlikely a source as Ellen DeGeneres. Maybe now mom will stop asking me to change all of the passwords to something easier.
Do you think that Ellen’s spoof of the password infomercial helps the cyber-security cause?
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.