I read an interesting article in the Economist a few days ago - Pictures as Passwords [needs subscription]. Here's an excerpt :

"Computer security: Passwords are a cheap, cheerful and ancient security measure. But might it make more sense to use pictures instead?

........A nonsense word made up of numbers and letters, or the first letters of each word in a phrase, is more secure. But too many such pA55w0rds can be difficult to remember, particularly since office workers now, on average, have to remember passwords for between six and 20 systems. No wonder 70% of workers forget their password at some time or another, forcing companies to spend an average of $18 per user per year dishing out new ones. And forcing employees to use different passwords, and to change them regularly, can be counterproductive: they are then even more likely to forget their passwords, and may end up writing them down. Might the idea of the password, which is thousands of years old, have finally had its day?......."

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