Finding saved passwords on a computer

We all have heard that we need a strong password to ensure our security on the internet. But what constitutes a strong password? A combination of numbers, letters and symbols. That said, it shouldn't be something that someone else can guess.

Some people use their birth dates. This, although memorable, is a bad idea. If someone stole your handbag or wallet, they have that information. Use something memorable such as the year and destination of your last vacation or the place your met your better half and your age at the time. You could use the make, model and year of your first car. All of these are things you will remember but not guessed or easily discovered by someone else.

As parents we know that we should monitor our children's computer time. There are always stories on the news about a child who was groomed or lured away from home via the interent. This is normally done on social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, or Bebo. All parents warn children from a young age not to speak to strangers, and to be wary. Telling children to be careful on the internet is the same as them standing on the side of a freeway and telling them to be careful crossing. Dangers are coming at them from every direction and they don't know how to react.

Because most children have now had a computer in their homes since they were born, they believe they know everything about them. They may even know how to operate it better than you do. Don't think this confidence with technology will keep them safe, the people who are trying to extract information from them are skilled at what they do.

There will come a time when children will want to use the social media sites and will put a password on there to ensure their privacy. This is where the dilemma begins. Do we accept this and trust everything they do? Would we know before it is too late, if they are being groomed by a potential pedophile or a victim of cyber bullying?

If you wish to secretly know what is being said on the social networking sites that your child goes onto, below are instructions as to how to access the passwords to gain access.

If you want to log onto an account and you can't remember what you used as a password, you have a couple of options. One is to send a message to the company or organization and they will send you an automated response either with your original password or a new one. They will then encourage you to change this to something more memorable. Or looking for a stored password on your computer.

If you are wanting to find a password without the other person knowing, such as your child, then you should look for a stored password on the computer.

To find a stored password on Firefox, click "Tools" on your menu bar at the top. From the drop down menu choose options. This will be the last choice. Click it.

Below you will see a picture of what this box will look like.

You will want to click on "Saved passwords" which is on the right.

A smaller box will appear to the left of your screen. This lists all the sites you visit where the user has told the computer to remember the password. At the bottom right of this box you will see a button marked "Show password". Click this.

A question box will pop up asking , "Are you sure you wish to show your passwords?" Click yes. This will display, the website, the user name and the password.