ANCHOR LEAD IN:
WE'VE HEARD IT A MILLION TIMES - CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD OR YOU'LL BE SORRY! BUT LOTS OF US ARE SORRY WHEN WE ACTUALLY DO CHANGE OUR PASSWORDS - BECAUSE WE JUST CAN'T REMEMBER THEM! IN TODAY'S HEADS UP __________HAS TIPS ON MAKING AND REMEMBERING SMARTER PASSWORDS.

TRACK ONE Length: :07
GRAPHIC DESIGNER NANCY WOLINSKI (whoa-LIN-skee) HAS TWO COMPUTERS IN HER HOME OFFICE. BUT SHE'S NOT ALL THAT WORRIED THAT SOMEONE WILL TRY AND GET INTO HER FILES...

SOT:
KEY @: :09 Nancy Wolinski, Has trouble with passwords
"I don't really worry about it because I still think of myself as a needle in the haystack."

TRACK TWO Length: :06
STILL, SHE TRIES TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY MIXING UP HER PASSWORDS. BUT, THAT USUALLY JUST LEAVES HER MIXED UP...

SOT
KEY @: :19 Nancy Wolinski, Has trouble with passwords
"I'm always having trouble remembering, you know, what variation of a pet's name did I use on this one. (laughs)"

TRACK THREE Length: :08
NANCY'S NOT ALONE. PASSWORDS ARE HARD TO REMEMBER, SO WE TEND TO USE SOMETHING WE COULDN'T FORGET... LIKE THE NAME OF A SPOUSE OR CHILD OR...

SOT
KEY @: :32 Andrew Brandt, Senior Associate Editor, PC World
"A lot of people use the name of their pet as their password -- bad idea."

TRACK FOUR Length: :03
EASILY-GUESSED PASSWORDS ARE A BIG NO-NO.

SOT
KEY @: :40 Andrew Brandt, Senior Associate Editor, PC World
"Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and if the application allows it, some special characters."

TRACK FIVE Length: :11
IT'S EASY IF YOU PICK A FAVORITE SONG LYRIC OR LINE FROM A BOOK, AND USE THE FIRST OR SECOND LETTER OF EACH WORD. THEN CHANGE SOME LETTERS TO NUMBERS. FOR INSTANCE, 'A' IS THE FIRST LETTER OF THE ALPHABET.

SOT:
KEY @: :58
"Moby Dick has a very short openig line 'Call Me Ishmael' - but you could use, you know, CMI."

TRACK SIX Length: :04
YOU STILL HAVE TO CHANGE PASSWORDS EVERY FEW MONTHS -- AND STORE THEM CAREFULLY.

SOT
KEY @: 1:10 Andrew Brandt, Senior Associate Editor, PC World
"...and that doesn't mean put it in your secret journal, or put it in your phonebook."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 09
INSTEAD, USE PASSWORD STORAGE SOFTWARE.
STILL TOO MUCH TO REMEMBER? BRANDT SAYS FINGERPRINT READERS AND OTHER GADGETS WILL DO THE WORK FOR YOU...

SOT
KEY @:1:20 Nancy Wolinski, Has trouble with passwords
"The biggest nuisance of a password is just remembering it."

ANCHOR TAG:
COMPUTER GOD BILL GATES IS A GADGET GUY, TOO. HE CONTINUES TO RALLY FOR AN END TO PASSWORDS, AND THE USE OF GADGETS INSTEAD. MEANWHILE, A RECENT REPORT BY GARTNER ESTIMATES THAT BY THE END OF 2007, THREE-QUARTERS OF U.S. BANKS WILL USE SOMETHING STRONGER THAN A PASSWORD FOR ONLINE BANKING.

SOURCE INFORMATION:

Andrew Brandt
Senior Associate Editor
PC World Magazine

PC World is the most widely-read computer or business magazine, with a readership of over 5.2 million (MRI Fall 2005). The winner of more editorial awards than any other computer publication, including the 2005 Maggie Award for Best Computer Magazine, PC World is targeted to meet the informational needs of Tech-Savvy Managers, both at work and at home. With its monthly Reviews and Rankings backed by the PC World Test Center, news, how-to articles, features, and special reports, PC World helps managers plan, buy, use, and integrate the technologies that keep them and their companies ahead of the competition.

Additional Background Materials
Finding a Replacement for Passwords, CNET
http://news.com.com/Finding+a+replacement+for+passwords/2100-1029_3-5586249.html?tag=st.num