Take Control of Passwords in Mac OS X

Book excerpt: Create and manage strong passwords that keep your data safe without taxing your memory! Suffering from password overload or anxiety? Set your mind at ease with friendly assistance from Mac expert Joe Kissell! You'll learn how to assess risk factors and devise a personal plan for generating different types of passwords, using Joe's special system for creating strong passwords that are easy to remember but virtually impossible to crack. The book also explains how to work with all the different passwords on your Mac (account login, master, root, firmware, email, AirPort, keychains), teaches you how to use Apple's Keychain Access password manager, provides pointers for using passwords on the Web, and includes tips for preventing password-related problems. For those who want to go beyond Keychain Access for features like higher security or PDA syncing, Joe describes likely options and provides money-saving coupons. Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions such as: Can my Mac automatically log me in to Web sites? What are good ways to generate new passwords? How can I come up with strong but easily remembered passwords? What are good techniques for tracking impossible-to-remember passwords? How should I set up the passwords that control access to my Mac? What are the best ways to use Apple's Keychain to manage passwords?