Storing Passwords

The most effective way to manage your passwords for personal or professional use us to use a password manager.  This allows you to manage unique logins for all the different resources you access (bank vs email vs general forums vs ...) and only have to maintain one master password.  Pick a reputable password manager, like KeePass, and remember that backing up and restoring your password database is critical.

Keeping electronic copies is fine, but also consider keeping a hard-copy as well in a relatively secure location.  One suggestion is that you print off your passwords every time you change your master password (annually is pretty minimal) but write that master password down on the print out so you can recover it if you forget it!  Useful if you do cycle your master password frequently.

Patch Your #$%^!

According to SANS, the top security threat right now is *drum roll* unpatched applications! *gasp* *shock* Yes, it's blindingly obviously, but organizations (and individuals) are downright negligent in patching desktop applications. Applications that are highly targeted, again no surprise here, Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Quicktime, and Microsoft Office. And furthermore, "On average, major organizations take at least twice as long to patch client-side vulnerabilities as they take to patch operating system vulnerabilities. In other words the highest priority risk is getting less attention than the lower priority risk."

So patch your #$%^ or else Walter is going to come beat the #$%^ out of your new car while shouting "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!" .

Or block Flash, Acrobat Reader, and Quicktime - can't say I'd shed any tears for those apps myself ;)