I am so over various internet sites deciding on their own what they think is secure for me. #1. Passwords: I have a simple, yet scrambled 6 letter password that's easy for me to remember. As it is now, I need an entire mini-notebook with all my passwords written down since almost every site I register for wont accept my password. No, it's too short - insecure. Rather they FEEL it's insecure. Instead I need a little letter, big letter, number, Chinese symbol, punctuation mark, drop of human blood, the key to my eternal soul... #2. Random password changes: Yahoo is the worst offender here. Basically you try to log in and it forces you to change your password based on the protocol from #1. #3. "Random Security Questions:" Our good friend Yahoo strikes again. You know those things like "mothers maiden name" they make you answer when you sign up? Well apparently they will pop up occasionally as a "security check." Only, they will say your answer is wrong when you know damn well its right... then subsequently lock you out for twelve hours. I've also managed to lose two accounts to this dumbassery. #4 Locking you out for signing in from an "Unknown Computer:" Really? We don't always try to log in from our home computer. Having to embark on a quest worthy of a fantasy novel series just to get into a chat room because they don't recognize my PC is simply absurd. Please, please, can I make my own decisions on how I protect my online security? Is that too much to ask? And on a related note: The sites that attempt to "protect my security" the most are also the only sites I've ever had hacked...
I suppose it depends on the site. If you run a site dealing with a lot of sensitive or personally-identifiable information, then it can become a problem for you as well as the user if the user's password is compromised, so there is good reason for the site to require a minimum level of password security. For some other sites, it does seem overkill at times.
Facebook (which I use almost never) is constantly telling me my account has been locked and that I'm trying to sign in from a new computer. And yahoo - I always click on login without entering anything so it'll bring my "remembered" login up; otherwise I have to dig around (like you) and find my stuff. (And yeah, yahoo is the one that's caused the most trouble security-wise.)
Try Apple: I used to download with my iPod touch, which only required a password, until it broke. Then I discovered that sometime long, long ago in a land far away from here (you get the point here) I had to make up 3 security questions and I couldn't get into my account because I didn't remember them. Now here comes the fun part. To change my security questions I had to answer... guess... c'mon, just guess... I'll give you a hint: I had to answer my security questions. I mean seriously? I forgot them, why else would I want to change them? Now I called apple and asked them to reset my security questions, but no; I had to answer them, because otherwise they couldn't be sure I'm the person who owns the account, even though I know my username, password, gender, date of birth, my mother's maiden name, my dog's and cats' age in days, the name of my little sister's first boyfriend etc. etc. So far my rant. Have a good day and don't use apple; they're worse than yahoo
Everyone moans about having to meet security criteria until someone breaks the security and starts messing with the moaner's privacy (or worse). Also, if you use the same password for everything, you had better not get too incensed when your financials get cracked after you buy cheap tickets from a fellow student through a "secure" trading site (that turns out to be hosted in Russia). Farfetched? You wish! I've worked in the Internet security field, and you wouldn't believe some of the vulnerabilities that have been exploited to scam the public or to commit random acts of vandalism. Also, don't be fooled into thinking Mac or *nix is more secure than Windows. The only reason Windows attacks are more numerous is that more people use Windows, making it a more attractive target for malicious persons or groups.
What bothers me is the ad tracking. It creeps me out. I searched for a toy for my little cousin, and with the all the toy ads I'm getting, you'd think I'm the Duggar mother.
