The Ghosts of Passwords

Halloween is almost here. It may be the one time of the year when it’s socially acceptable to discuss things that make people uncomfortable.

Let’s talk about something actually scary: dying without leaving your passwords behind.

Here’s a ghost story for you. A man dies suddenly, leaving behind a laptop full of important financial documents, family photos, and business records. His family knows the information is there, but they can’t access it because the laptop is password protected.

They try every password they can think of. His birthday, his pet’s name, his anniversary, combinations of family names and important dates. Nothing works.

They take the computer to a tech repair shop. The technician explains that modern encryption makes it essentially impossible to crack the password without destroying the data.

The family is left with a laptop full of important information that might as well not exist, because they can’t get to it.

This isn’t a made-up story. This happens all the time.

The scariest part? It’s completely preventable. A password manager, a written record of important passwords, or digital legacy features would solve the problem entirely.

But you have to set these things up before you need them. You can’t call tech support from beyond the grave.

So this Halloween, do something that will prevent your digital life from haunting your family: set up a password manager, designate digital legacy contacts, or at least write down your most important passwords somewhere safe, like the Ending Note.

It’s less scary than most Halloween movies, and much more useful.