Advice from a computer security expert, on passwords used for accessin

Question

Advice from a computer security expert, on passwords used for accessing online accounts:

Computer users should use a different password for each online account. They should also use  strong passwords , which are hard for hackers to decipher. However, strong passwords are difficult to remember, and this is especially the case for users who have multiple online accounts.

Fortunately, software is available for little or no cost that can store and encrypt a user's passwords: the user need only remember one password to access the rest. For users willing to take the time to install the software on a computer and enter all the required data, such software provides one way to comply with security expert's advice. Some versions of the software can even be copied to a portable device, such as a USB drive, whereby a user can access passwords from any compatible computer. For a computer user with multiple accounts who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account, the expert's advice amounts to suggesting that users make certain sacrifices in order to make certain gains.

Indicate by appropriate selections in the first and second column which of the items in the third column would describe a sacrifice for this user and which would be a gain. Make only two selections, one in each column.

ID: 100367

SubashRajesh · Accepted Answer

Hi experts,
I got confused with the fundamental part of the question. When the question reads "For a computer user with multiple accounts who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account, the expert's advice amounts to suggesting that users make certain sacrifices in order to make certain gains.", I interpreted it the part "for a user with multiple accounts who would not use a different strong password" as "a user who wouldn't actually install a software but continue to have several accounts with the  same  difficult password". I have difficulty in breaking down this part and eventually selected the exact opposite of the correct answer i.e security as sacrifice and time as gain. Kindly help me.

adstudy · Answer

Answer can be directly seen in the below excerpt from the prompt -

" For  users willing to take the time  to install the software on a computer and enter all the required data, such  software provides one way to comply with security expert's advice.  "

Sacrifice  ->  Time  -> users willing to take the time 
  Gain  ->  Security  -> software provides one way to comply with security expert's advice.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

In the second paragraph, the word "fortunately" suggests that the expert is recommending the special software as a way to solve the problems described in the first paragraph. The expert says the software is available at no cost, so no money need be sacrificed to use it. And the passage does not say or suggest anywhere that using the software would require sacrificing computing speed, security, or the user's number of online accounts. However, the passage does say it would take time to install the software and enter all the required information. Thus, by recommending the software, the expert is effectively suggesting that users sacrifice some time in order to set it up.

The correct answer is Time.

The passage does not say or suggest anywhere that using the software would cause users to gain money, computing speed, or online accounts, nor that it would save them time. But the software does make it much easier for users to use a different strong password on every account even if they would not do so otherwise. The first paragraph says that this practice improves security. Thus, the expert is recommending the software as a way for users who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account to gain security.

The correct answer is Security.

arpanpatnaik · Answer

Thanks for the post Genopath!

As the OA mentions, the answers would be ' Sacrifice of Time ' and a ' Gain of Security '. An argument can be made for the Sacrifice of Money as well, but the second paragraph gives more emphasis on the time factor than the cost of the software, and as mentioned the software can be procured for little or no cost at all. Regards, Arpan

Hadrienlbb · Answer

Hi  SubashRajesh ,

Not 100% about your confusion point. I'll give it a quick try anyways.

"For  a computer user with multiple accounts   who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account , t he expert's advice amounts to suggesting that users make certain sacrifices in order to make certain gains ."

In this case,  we are talking about a computer user who has multiple accounts , and  for all we know these accounts could all have the same password, strong or weak, or all have different but weak passwords, or a mix of all this . For this type of user, we are asked to identify what would be gained and what would need to be sacrificed to follow the expert's recommendation.

As per paragraph 1,  the expert's advice is to have a different AND strong password for every single account . The expert then makes a suggestion on how to achieve this without having to remember multiple difficult passwords, which most users can't do.

Hope this helps!

LizzieB · Answer

Hi, I thought the same as SubashRajesh did. However, if we are asked to identify "sacrifice" or "gain" of people who don't have a different strong password for every single account (having the same password, strong or weak, or all have different but weak passwords, or a mix of all this as Hadrienlbb said), why these people gain security and lost time? 
So, "For a computer user with multiple accounts who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account" is about user who doesn't have the same password? Words "different" and "otherwise" here make me so confused.

Anyone please help.

Maria240895chile · Answer

I've got the same problem. I thought on a person who does not use a strong password and neither use the software. So he would sacrifice security, but gain time, because he would use the same password for every account or because he would not need to spend the time filling the software with information

ChiranjeevSingh · Answer

I think you missed the word 'otherwise'.

The text says, "For a computer user with multiple accounts who would not   otherwise   use a different strong password on every account, the expert's advice amounts to suggesting that users make certain sacrifices in order to make certain gains."

The 'otherwise' here indicates that this user wouldn't use a different strong password on every account WITHOUT THE SOFTWARE.

Thus, the question pertains to this user who wouldn't adhere to the expert's advice without the software.

av722 · Answer

I initially had the same problem that  SubashRajesh  had, but this is how I understand the correct answer.

While the question does ask us about this group of users: "a computer user with multiple accounts who would not otherwise use a different strong password on every account," we have to look at the next portion of the question "the  expert's advice  amounts to suggesting that users make certain sacrifices in order to make certain gains". So this goes back to what the expert was saying initially about those that don't already have a different strong password on every account. These people should sacrifice their time (to download the software) to gain security (that will allow them to use a different strong password on every account"

BlackHat098 · Answer

misunderstood the question, looked at the question from a pov of a user who would not take the trouble of installing the new software. And thus, he would have to sacrifice on the security part of the computer and bc installing the software is time taking by not doing so, he is saving/gaining time. 
But the question never asks it from this user's perspective but from a user who has indeed installed the software.

Advice from a computer security expert, on passwords used for accessin

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Sacrifice	Gain
		Money
		Computing Speed
		Security
		Number of Online Accounts
		Time

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Advice from a computer security expert, on passwords used for accessin

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