Learning a Thing or Two about Email Security from Sarah Palin

Even if you have followed the advice to generate a unique random 30 character password for your Internet account passwords, you are still in danger of being hacked. Certainly, the danger is more remote. The fact is, most hackers are going after random accounts on the Internet looking for the low hanging fruit. If your password is KjuD;NnoG7RaygNNuFcsCHQmwcofLv and someone else's is "g00gle123" chances are it's the other guy who's going to be victimized.

But what if it's more personal? What if it's an ex-employee, ex-spouse, vindictive co-worker or neighbor or some other vengeful sort with you in their crosshairs? This targeted hacking presents another problem that banks, credit card companies and others seem to be setting you up for.

What's your mother's maiden name? Where did you go to high school? What's the name of your first pet? Where did you honeymoon? What's your maternal grandfather's first name? What's your date of birth?

Recognize these types of questions? It's the "Lost Password Trap," and it's just out there waiting for you. Do you remember answering those questions when you set up your online banking? Sure. It's these questions that a website will use to verify your identity if you forget your password. But do you remember answering these questions over cocktails, during pillow talk, or merely in casual conversation? How much of this is simply findable on your Facebook profile?

This is exactly how Sarah Palin's email account was hacked in 2008! A hacker, claiming to be Sarah Palin went through the Yahoo email procedure for recovering a lost password.

Birthdate: 2/11/64
Zip Code: 99654
Where did you meet your spouse: Wasilla High

Similar techniques were used to infiltrate the Twitter accounts of Barack Obama, Britney Spears, Lily Allen and lots of not-so-famous victims.

Some will advise you to make up a fake answer to these questions. Not bad, but your fake answer may be as guessable as your real one. Mother… Goose? Pet…Fido? If you can keep it in your head, it's probably not a great idea.

How about using your random password generator to come up with a short but random string of characters, and saving it in your password management app?

Mother's maiden name? oL-eF-yeph