Securing Your Online Identity: The Role of Security Questions

Security questions have long been a staple in providing an additional layer of protection for online accounts. However, these measures are increasingly outdated and can be easily exploited. In this article, we explore what makes the best security questions and why relying solely on them is a risky strategy.

Why Security Questions May Not Be Enough

The best security questions, if you must use them, are no security questions at all. Security experts advise against using them because people often choose answers that are easy to guess, often due to their habits of sharing personal information on social media. Indeed, any service still using security questions and answers is likely behind the times, reflecting outdated security protocols.

However, if security questions are still necessary, the next best option involves treating the answer as a password that has no relation to the question. For example, instead of answering 'My mother’s maiden name' with 'Smith,' you could enter a randomly generated string like 'MzBNyuJVs5PkHE84zm4U.' Similarly, you might answer 'First pet' with a string like 'jq3Tkk6SJYshrm69fT6g,' and 'High school mascot' with something like 'cd6GU7y47VQssvwFRVpj.' This approach ensures that the answer is unpredictable and meaningless, thus more secure.

Best Practices for Security Questions

The only thing that matters with security questions is that you give the same answer every time it is asked. This should be exactly like a password. You can even use a password manager, secure notes, or other secure mechanisms to remember your answers for when you need them.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

Do not use security questions where anyone could easily know, guess, or find the answers online. This includes questions related to social media accounts. Always ensure that your answers are highly unlikely to be discovered by others.

Creating Personalized and Memorable Questions

Probably the best security questions are tailored to the user and produce an answer that is known well but unknown to others. For general questions that apply to multiple people, the best advice is to avoid those where the answer changes frequently, such as 'favorite color.' Instead, base the questions on memorable events from the user's past. This ensures that the answers are unique and difficult to guess.

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Securing your online identity is crucial in today's digital age. By following best practices for security questions and integrating them as part of a comprehensive security strategy, you can better protect your personal and sensitive information.