Comment by shawndumas | Hacker News Reader

Comment by shawndumas | Hacker News Reader

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Here is the list; You tell me.

Keep in mind though; you can answer anything you want. Use a 1password generated string for each and store the answers redundantly. That's what I did.

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What was the first car you owned?

Who was your first teacher?

What was the first album you owned?

Where was your first job?

In which city were you first kissed?

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Which of the cars you’ve owned has been your favorite?

Who was your favourite teacher?

What was the first concert you attended?

Where was your favourite job?

Who was your best childhood friend?

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Which of the cars you’ve owned has been your least favorite?

Who was your least favourite teacher?

Where was your least favourite job?

In which city did your mother and father meet?

Where were you on January 1, 2000?

I can barely answer half of those for myself and out of those that I can answer I'm either not sure I'd answer the same thing a few years later or it will probably be something a lot of people know.

Those questions are terrible.

Answering with a random string is the only sensible solution. But it is just as mindbogglingly bad. Because then you could just as well write down the password - and bam, you'd never lose it (well, if you did lose it you would have lost the answers to these questions as well so either way you are screwed).

Just keep in mind that the ACTUAL answer to the security questions doesnt matter, just whatever you type into the box the first time.

What was your first car? "spaceship" is perfectly acceptable response, and its not discoverable by public means.

it does however mean you need to know what you would have typed in for each of the questions.

I use the 1password pronounceable strings. Still plenty random, but you can say it over the phone to a customer service person if you ever do need.

Great idea: Updating my questions now...

For every single of these questions, my wife, mother and sister would know the answer as well. Ergo, they are not acceptable as a "secret" that can be used to grant access to my account; Apple should provide reasonable privacy also from my in-laws. The whole concept of "security questions" is stupid and useless, and shouldn't be used ever and anywhere.

That's why I always give a ten character random string as answers to those questions.

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