What is the most unusual password you have ever seen?
I silently lamented her lack of security until I actually got to her office. The only sticky note I saw was a verse, written out in her neat handwriting:
He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
People wrote bible verses all the time on sticky notes at that college. It was common sight, just little spiritual reminders. At that point, though, I didn’t need inspiration, I needed a password.
No other notes. I checked the floor and the desk behind the monitor.
I sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do next. Then I looked at the note again, and noticed that it didn’t have the scripture reference with it. I pulled a Bible off her shelf, flipped through a few pages, and found what I was looking for.
I brought up the login screen, and after a few tries, typed in:
Micah6:8
Password accepted!
I had to laugh: she’d followed IT guidelines for passwords (at least 8 characters; a mix of capitals, lowercase, numbers, and at least one non-alphanumeric character). And even though she’d left herself a reminder in plain sight (a big no-no) only someone who had grown up in a Christian culture would get it—and most of those who had would just think it was a verse she found inspiring.