And these folks have been running this country
There are so many accounts out there that you can get into with "password". Or admin, administrator, 123456, 1q2w3e4r, etc etc. It's horrible.
It was a different time 20 years ago.The passwords were stored in plain text and not encrypted? Sounds wierd.
Kind of like this isn't it?
Sounds like social engineering, more than any hack. A technical con if you will.
I will say you shouldn't be surprised at the amount of "default" passwords that aren't changed. It was a great way to gain access to routers. (admin:admin) Now, most routers require a new password to start the setup.
Friendly PSA: No one needs to admit it, but if your password is in a dictionary, it's not secure. A lot of people create passwords related to your birthday, anniversary, a sports team or a pet. If I can find the answer on FaceBook (including your security questions) it's not secure. A Passphrase is best. e.g. I am looking at a book "Resistance to Tyranny" by Joseph P Martino, PhD. You could make a password by taking the first letter of each; RtTJpMPhD1! <--You can remember that, but it isn't guessable.
More like a cough.You mean like with a knife?
Touche.More like a cough.
Frequent password changes are one of the biggest security holes in the world.I used to use TrustNo1 but even that became too popular. Biggest problem I have is that they (work mostly) is always asking us to change it. It's getting to be a pain to try and remember what the new one is all the time.