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Adds note about not using gibberish for security questions (#86)

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Alicia Sykes 2022-04-10 23:19:34 +01:00
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@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Use long, strong and unique passwords, manage them in a secure password manager,
**Don’t save your password in browsers** | Optional | Most modern browsers offer to save your credentials when you log into a site. Don’t allow this, as they are not always encrypted, hence could allow someone to gain access into your accounts. Instead use a dedicated password manager to store (and auto-fill) your passwords
**Avoid logging in on someone else’s device** | Optional | Avoid logging on other people's computer, since you can't be sure their system is clean. Be especially cautious of public machines, as malware and tracking is more common here. Using someone else's device is especially dangerous with critical accounts like online banking. When using someone else's machine, ensure that you're in a private/ incognito session (Use Ctrl+Shift+N/ Cmd+Shift+N). This will request browser to not save your credentials, cookies and browsing history.
**Avoid password hints** | Optional | Some sites allow you to set password hints. Often it is very easy to guess answers. In cases where password hints are mandatory use random answers and record them in password manager (`Name of the first school: 6D-02-8B-!a-E8-8F-81`)
**Never answer online security questions truthfully** | Optional | If a site asks security questions (such as place of birth, mother's maiden name or first car etc), don't provide real answers. It is a trivial task for hackers to find out this information online or through social engineering. Instead, create a fictitious answer, and store it inside your password manager
**Never answer online security questions truthfully** | Optional | If a site asks security questions (such as place of birth, mother's maiden name or first car etc), don't provide real answers. It is a trivial task for hackers to find out this information online or through social engineering. Instead, create a fictitious answer, and store it inside your password manager. Using real-words is better than random characters, [explained here](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29244870)
**Don’t use a 4-digit PIN** | Optional | Don’t use a short PIN to access your smartphone or computer. Instead, use a text password or much longer pin. Numeric passphrases are easy crack, (A 4-digit pin has 10,000 combinations, compared to 7.4 million for a 4-character alpha-numeric code)
**Avoid using SMS for 2FA** | Optional | When enabling multi-factor authentication, opt for app-based codes or a hardware token, if supported. SMS is susceptible to a number of common threats, such as [SIM-swapping](https://www.maketecheasier.com/sim-card-hijacking) and [interception](https://secure-voice.com/ss7_attacks). There's also no guarantee of how securely your phone number will be stored, or what else it will be used for. From a practical point of view, SMS will only work when you have signal, and can be slow
**Avoid using your PM to Generate OTPs** | Advanced | Many password managers are also able to generate 2FA codes. It is best not to use your primary password manager as your 2FA authenticator as well, since it would become a single point of failure if compromised. Instead use a dedicated [authenticator app](/5_Privacy_Respecting_Software.md#2-factor-authentication) on your phone or laptop