Word of the Day: identity chaos

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Title: Word of the Day

January 20, 2005 Published by  WhatIs.com Word of the Day LOOK IT UP     LEARNING CENTER     FAST REFERENCES     CAREERS         Issue Sponsored By:   > Whatis.com Learning Center IN THIS ISSUE:   >  Word of the Day: identity chaos   >  Today's Tech News   >  Brain Food   >  Additions and Updates   Whatis.com Learning Center Visit the Whatis.com Learning Center to get a crash course on the latest technology, industry standards and top issues that affect your business every day. You'll get a summary of current topics from across the TechTarget network of sites. From here you can view news, educate yourself with learning guides or utilize the resources of a crash course to stay up to date on the latest technologies. View topics now.   identity chaos Identity chaos (sometimes called password chaos) is a situation in which users have multiple identities and passwords across a variety of networks, applications, computers and/or computing devices. To further complicate matters, each of the user's passwords may be subject to different rules, allow access at different security levels, and expire on different dates. Such a situation can lead to security risks. Because people have to remember so many different passwords, they may choose very simple ones and change them infrequently. A frequent tactic for remembering passwords -- affixing them to your computer on a sticky note -- is even worse. Security experts suggest that a password should be an unpredictable and reasonably long string of mixed numbers and letters, which makes it harder to crack. Unfortunately, such a password is also harder for the user to remember, especially if it is one of many. According to some reports, calls to resolve password issues often overburden help desk resources. Identity management methods and software are being developed to automate and simplify password and identity-related administrative tasks. Self-service password reset products allow users to resolve password issues without calling a help desk. Password synchronization allows users to access resources across networked computers and computing devices with a single password. A variation called single signon also enables synchronization across applications. MORE INFO: > ZDNet has a tech update called "Password chaos threatens e-commerce." > Daon Security offers a White Paper called "Biometric Identity Management in Large-Scale Enterprises." Worm tricks users with fake porn warning [SearchSecurity.com] Baba-C tries to trick users into thinking there's pornographic content on their PCs, and then offers to hide the evidence. Microsoft's malware removal tool fuels speculation [SearchWindowsSecurity.com] While the free product is consumer focused, it has generated some industry buzz about the future direction of Microsoft's security efforts and how it will affect the enterprise. IDC: HP corners SMB market [SearchSmallBizIT.com] New IDC research shows that HP is outselling its competitors in the SMB space by pitching itself as a service provider. More Tech News Catch up on all the latest IT news! Secret Word of the Day An electrician's mantra? This is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). What is it? Answer Today's Trivia Question When a horse runs, are all four feet ever off the ground simultaneously? Answer IT Alphabet Soup Radar is used to detect the position and/or movement of objects. What do the letters in radar stand for? a. radio detection and ranging b. nothing Answer Learning Center Update: 25 password hardening tips in 25 minutes Strong password practices are key to keeping Windows systems secure. These quick tips offer advice on everything from policy setup and enforcement to password creation and storage. VoIP phone Mac mini phase-shift keying S/PDIF Serial Digital Interface Contact Us Sales For sales inquiries, please contact us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Editorial For feedback about any of our articles or to send us your article ideas, please contact us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ABOUT THIS E-NEWSLETTER This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. Copyright 2005 TechTarget. All rights reserved. To unsubscribe from "Word of the Day": Go to unsubscribe: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/u?cid=501991&lid=430801&track=NL-34 Please note, unsubscribe requests may take up to 24 hours to process; you may receive additional mailings during that time. A confirmation e-mail will be sent when your request has been successfully processed. Contact Us: WhatIs Member Services 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800 Needham, MA 02494