Spotted a guy at Starbucks using password123 on his laptop in plain view

I was sitting at a Starbucks in Austin last Tuesday and this dude next to me logs into his work VPN with his password just visible on the screen. Made me realize how easy it is for anyone shoulder surfing to grab credentials, especially in crowded places. Anyone else catching people being careless with their logins in public spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa67129d ago

Mary, did you actually count the clicks or was that just an estimate?

mary61429d ago

I read the part about "password123" and honestly that cracked me up (but in a sad way). My brother-in-law still uses "abc123" for everything and I keep telling him it's like leaving your front door wide open. I was at a library once and this lady typed her bank password with each key click super loud, I could have counted the letters if I wanted to be nosy. It's wild how people forget that screens reflect off windows too, I saw a guy's entire email login from three tables away at a Panera. We all get lazy but come on, at least try a little, you know? Maybe we should all print out fake embarrassing passwords to trick the shoulder surfers, that'd be funny.