challenge questions

[renegade600]

security is beginng to get a little ridicules. I just tried to create a login to pay one of my bills online and for security they asked for my user name/password, to write a caption under a picture, and give answers to three security challenge questions.

One of the questions was whats my mothers middle name. So I gave it, it rejected because it was less than four letters. What do they expect me to do make one up and so I have to write it down to remember.

anyway do you think some of the security is worth it? or a waste of time?

[Harrie]

Not a waste of time to me. When it comes to anything financial, the more the better. I will say that I am most happy with an online banking site that seems more cautious than others (maybe not, it isn't like I've gone around comparing loads of sites.) But they have it set so that you answer about four or five security questions, and the thing is, they are very, very random. Not just the usual "What is your mother's maiden name". Stuff nobody but yourself would be likely to know. And then when you go to log in, they darn well do ask you one of the questions. I'm glad of it.

Problem is, I feel like "anything" can be gotten around these days.

[Morfeasss]

You may be interested to read this.

[degsy]

I wouldn't find it as much as a bother if you actually signed up to them yourself.

Barclays introuduced a fraud check in association with online shopping sites.
Mine wouldn't accept the details I entered so I phoned them up.

They actually had the wrong birthday in their details, so how on earth was I supposed to pass the check

[agithegreat]

Online banking.... apsolutly yes to the extreme!!!!!
Adding coments to myspace... takes the .... (fill in the word)
So 2 extremes really......

[Pi rules]

It is definitely worth it imo, but there is a cost with each additional security measure. For one example, when I have Tor on and try to go to Google I often get transferred to the German or French version of Google.

At college one person living next to me had his identity "stolen" already. It happens every day.

I just tried to create a login to pay one of my bills online and for security they asked for my user name/password, to write a caption under a picture, and give answers to three security challenge questions.

Username and password are standard, caption under the picture helps prevents bots from creating accounts, and the three questions can help increase the security of your account. All worth the time imo. Then again I have an old computer turned into a firewall (using smoothwall), NIDS, HIDS, in addition to all the usual stuff.

[oracle128]

Waste of time. Maybe after they've added the hundredth question to the security check, we can take a square peg and try jamming it in that round hole.
Security checks are useless when users don't control their privacy information flows. Oh, the system is asking what your mother's middle name is? What you had for breakfast yesterday? No problems, I'll just lookup your MySpace account and see where you've willingly submitted all of that info and more. Identity: stolen.