Those online security questions...

I’ve had a few people ask me about how to best handle online security questions.  You know, the ones they ask so that you can verify your identity if you forget your password, etc.  Security questions are one of the age-old institutions of digital authentication. Their flaws are well documented -- answers are often easy to guess or look up, and companies themselves seem not to take them seriously -- and yet, they're still used everywhere.



 





The most important thing to remember is that when you answer the questions, make sure that the answers can’t be easily discovered by someone else who might want to impersonate you. 

As an option, here’s how I handle it:  I’ve created a fictional scenario in my mind about how I grew up -- where I lived (or would have liked to), who my best friend was, what my first car was, you get the idea.  And I’ve memorized it (it’s not hard to remember).  Whenever I come across online security questions, I answer the questions using the fake scenario!  None of that info is available to anyone, so they are super secure answers (like my mother’s fake maiden name, etc.).  And no, it has nothing to do with Breaking Bad. ;)

Be safe!