Why is your mother's maiden name always a question for passwords?

Answer by  nuttree (1596)

The maiden name is public, but not easy to find, unless you know where to look. It's not absolute protection, but it does make it harder to steal a password.

Answer by  shortcircuit08 (96)

Simply because it is a question most people wouldn't know the answer to, without having to do quite a bit of research. And yes it is public information, but can be tricky to find and figure out, so typically isn't worth it to those that would hack through your password.