Setting up a password scheme?
Overview
- Most users may not need more than 3 levels of passwords and webmasters no more than 5. Each level must be completely unrelated to the others in terms of which ids and passwords are used.
Directions
- Level 5 (Public) – is the password you use on public sites. It is not imperative that you use a different password on every site. In fact it’s more effective to use a different username on every site than it is to use a different password truth be told! Knowing the username allows easy hacking…half the work is done! knowing the password is useless unless you know what account it goes to!
- Level 4 (Webmaster) – Reserved for SQL Only. this is a password that would only be used by SQL and limited to a specific database in SQL. The best way to protect SQL is by limiting each account to just being able to do the minimum that DB requires. In some cases it is even wise to have a read only account for display and a separate write account that the backend write functions use.
- Level 3 (Webmaster) – FTP and Server Access. these can be the same user:pass combo since both if compromised can do the most damage.
- Level 2 (Personal Data Access) – This password should be used for any sites or locations that contain personal data with the exception of Banking (see level 1). these sites are often used for social engineering data such as medical records, service accounts and any financial records not directly related to banking! You want these to be secure but also different from the real threat of security…your money!
- Level 1 (Banking!) – this needs to be the most secure in fact if you have two different banks it actually pays to have a different user:pass for each just to be sure!