Wrestling with Security

I've known about security problems currently plaguing users for some time now, and that creating a secure password (or pass phrase) is one of the things people could do to avert computer disasters. However, I've kept on using the same, insecure pass phrase for many of my accounts. It's mainly because I've gotten so used to typing the same password over and the fact that it's so easy to remember. I also haven't had a bad experience so far on my occasional online shopping excursions-so the need to protect my information wasn't really a priority.

Still, I thought it was better to not get burned in the first place, so I've meant to change my pass phrase for at least those accounts that have access to my financial information, like my Amazon and eBay profiles. I finally got to actually changing my pass phrase to a more secure mixture of numbers, symbols, and characters a couple of months ago. While I do feel more protected from data traffickers, and have no plans of reverting to a shorter, simpler pass phrase, I sometimes make a mistake entering the characters that I feel inconvenienced by the added security.

When I find myself getting peeved at the "incorrect password" message most websites return, I just remind myself that my occasional mistake is just something I have to put up with if I am serious about securing my personal information. While I think that going through all the trouble to protect myself on the Internet sometimes borders on the absurd, I also know that the web's very nature makes it difficult to completely prevent viral epidemics and identity theft. So it's up to us to try to do what we can to secure our own computers, since the authorities and current information technology companies can only do so much to secure the network, short of re-architecting the Internet.