• Encryption isn’t wise

    Posted on February 21, 2025 at 08:00 CST by • Comment in the Forums
    View of password protected file

    View of password protected file

    Before you think I’m about to say encryption in all cases isn’t wise, no, I’m not going to say that. But I will say there are times that encryption is a very bad idea if you’ve made no plans for someone else to know or how to handle getting back into a “thing” that is encrypted.

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked how to remove an encryption password from an Excel file that someone used to store their passwords. The person may be ill or passed away, and their loved ones will be scrambling to get into various accounts. While there is software that can easily get into a QuickBooks file by removing the password and requiring you to reset it, for Excel it’s a slow, brute-force process to figure out what the password is. The best you can hope for is that there will be a favorite phrase on a sticky note somewhere. Otherwise, you may (probably will) be stuck trying to get into the accounts and recover access.

    I am a fan of encryption when used responsibly. But when someone uses encryption and doesn’t plan on recovery, it can lead to a world of hurt. None of us will live forever. My dad is 96 and working on that, but he still makes sure I know how to get into his accounts or makes me an additional user on them.

    It’s okay to write passwords down, hopefully in a safe place. It’s not okay to protect them so well that your loved ones can’t access them when they need to.

    Security , ,
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