2torial #0499: Learn2 Choose and Use a Password (Continued) Know when to change it Don't get too attached to your password; be prepared to abandon it in favor of a new one when the need arises. And learn to acknowledge that the need has arisen. Too many people cling to a password either out of sheer force of habit, or because they never learned the procedures for changing it. When does the need for a new password arise? Don't wait until someone sniffs out the old one--that's a little like locking the barn door after the cows are gone. If you have a situation where more than one person has had access to a password, follow this policy: change it whenever someone who knows it no longer needs to use it. Even if that person is completely trustworthy, and even if changing is a hassle.   Why? It's not a sign of mistrust, but a courtesy to the departing. You free them from the burden of having to keep a secret (since the old password is nothing but trivia), and you eliminate even the shadow of suspicion in case unauthorized access does occur. Step 7