Revert to previously-used Spark xtra password

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Revert to previously-used Spark xtra password

onetapu

242 posts

Master Geek

#280406 13-Dec-2020 08:43

I want to revert to a previously-used Spark xtra password (which was only used for a few days) but it won't accept the change. How can I "remove" the previously-used passwords from my account and make the change I want? I have logged out and logged back in etc and the change is for good reason and a very strong one.

mrdrifter

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#2620802 13-Dec-2020 09:16

Most good password/authentication systems won't allow you to re-use a password for a set time or number of password cycles. Normally these system policies won't allow an override either as it makes them significantly less secure.

Best to select a new password and stick with it, a password manager can help.

Jase2985

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#2620804 13-Dec-2020 09:18

why would you want to do that for?

onetapu

242 posts

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#2620822 13-Dec-2020 09:53

Because this password is "misaligned" with all my other passwords - all of which are different but with the same theme - and I can never remember this one. Can I call Spark to delete previous ones??

michaelmurfy

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#2620823 13-Dec-2020 10:01

You shouldn't use the same password for everything - see https://haveibeenpwned.com as well as pwned passwords (on the same site).

If one of those sites gets compromised then suddenly everywhere else you use that password is compromised too. Not a good situation to be in. It is not a question of "if" one of your passwords is compromised right now, it is a matter of "when" it'll be compromised as it only takes a single site. If you're in the green on Have I Been Pwned then stay like that by not using the same password across multiple sites.

Instead, a password manager (like Lastpass - https://lastpass.com) and setting secure, random passwords via it is the most secure way to go. Also means unless if you forget your master password for LastPass then you won't forget any of your passwords again. LastPass also manages auto-filling for you. This (I believe) is a feature of the Google Password Manager found in Chrome also however not as good.

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Talkiet

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#2620829 13-Dec-2020 10:09

Short answer, no, Spark won't entertain manual password kludgery.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

onetapu

242 posts

Master Geek

#2620836 13-Dec-2020 10:37

Thanks for that michaelmurphy. I get what you’re saying but is using a 3rd party really more secure than my system? I don’t use the same pw for anything but have many different ones along a theme, so I can remember them. If one was compromised, nothing else would be. If I was to change my Spark pw multiple times, would it eventually allow the one I want to use??

Linux

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#2620855 13-Dec-2020 11:55

Use an app like Keepass to save complex passwords

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Lias

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#2620878 13-Dec-2020 12:59

onetapu:

I get what you’re saying but is using a 3rd party really more secure than my system?

Yes.

When a bad actor gets one of your passwords (and they will eventually, still plenty of sites out there with terrible security practises like MD5 hashing), they will most likely see your pattern. There are whole forums devoted to such things.

Yes, a password manager is a single point of failure, but with 2FA and a strong password it's still the best option.

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1101

3122 posts

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#2621204 14-Dec-2020 10:03

No one here can say how safe & secure password managers are, we dont actually know.
Any comment as to how secure password managers are , is guessing & assumptions .

https://password-managers.bestreviews.net/faq/which-password-managers-have-been-hacked/

add to that, if you PC gets hacked , all bets are off .

nitro

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2621224 14-Dec-2020 10:48

onetapu:

Because this password is "misaligned" with all my other passwords - all of which are different but with the same theme - and I can never remember this one. Can I call Spark to delete previous ones??

can you not think a new password with the same theme?

Lias

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#2621509 14-Dec-2020 20:26

1101:

No one here can say how safe & secure password managers are, we dont actually know.
Any comment as to how secure password managers are , is guessing & assumptions .

https://password-managers.bestreviews.net/faq/which-password-managers-have-been-hacked/

add to that, if you PC gets hacked , all bets are off .

It's not all guessing and assumption, not with open source and 3rd party auditing.

Some are open source. (e.g. Keepass, Bitwarden)
Some publish data on their audits e.g.
- https://support.1password.com/security-assessments/
- https://bitwarden.com/blog/post/bitwarden-network-security-assessment-2020/
Some have active bug bounty programs.
Some are cloud and some are self hosted.

No one is claiming password managers are perfect, but the generaly consensus is pretty clear that they are the best option for most people.