I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

A novel password policy

James O'Neill's blog — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:27:15 GMT

Setting up some demo servers recently Steve and I tripped over the Windows 2008's default password policy:

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

chris dalby — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:47:56 GMT

Hi Steve

I posted a video blog on www.kyte.tv/yellowpark about how I now have 2 birthdays like the queen. Specifically for the reasons you mentioned about the maiden name thing and its definately not the sort of data I want to go entering into social network sites. You might also be interested to see a Facebook app that Craig Ccmehil threw together to show just what data can be harvested by app developers.

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

Chris Dalby — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:46:51 GMT

Hi Steve

I posted a video on www.kyte.tv/yellowpark about how I now have 2 birthdays like the queen. Specifically for the reasons you mentioned about the maiden name thing and its definately not the sort of data I want to go entering into social network sites. You might also be interested to see a Facebook app that Craig Ccmehil threw together to show just what data can be harvested by app developers.

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

Steve Lamb — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:19:46 GMT

Mathew> My bank does the same so it's not a big deal but none the less having one question that's so easy to work out isn't great.

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

hobnob — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 21:33:32 GMT

Some banks including HSBC realised the problem you highlight some years ago and offer the facility to accept an alternate bank use only memorable word that is not set in stone instead of Mother's maiden name. iirc the change happened when HSBC gobbled Midland bank.

For credit it appears from here that the banks we use are feeding Credit databases such as Equifax correct real maiden name data.

Ref Sky TV etc - I've yet to find anyone who own's up to giving a real mother's name on Sky's contracts. Sky TV's contract might easily be interpreted to read that "maiden name" is used as a password to unlock/reset the childlock pincode etc - so any name you can remember is valid.

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

Matthew Stibbe — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 13:15:21 GMT

Interestingly, my bank rotates through a number of security questions and I think if I asked them, it would be a simple matter of dropping one question and adding another. If one bank has only one security question and won't let you change the answer, and another lets you choose both the questions and the answers, changing banks isn't such a bad idea.

re: I'd like to change my Mother's maiden name please

dwntrdr — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 05:55:55 GMT

I have always used a different mother's maiden name to my mum's actual maiden name. Security is one of the reasons why I do this, but it's also because my mum's maiden name is too difficult to spell and I don't know how to spell it! Obviously, the maiden name I chose is much easier to spell...