Editing 2543: Never Told Anyone

{{comic
| number    = 2543
| date      = November 17, 2021
| title     = Never Told Anyone
| image     = never_told_anyone.png
| titletext = Even if you said you were an employee of the website, if you asked for my password, I'd tell you.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic combines stereotypes about two secrets that one would normally be reluctant to share: {{tvtropes|DarkSecret|dark, personal secrets}}, and {{w|password}}s. In the comic, [[Megan]] appears to be about to tell [[Cueball]] a secret of the former variety, but twists it by instead revealing a {{w|one-time password|one-time code}} (presumably for the use of {{w|Multi-factor authentication|two-factor authentication}} for an online account). This is poking fun at the serious-looking warnings that typically accompany the generation of one-time codes. For example: "DO NOT share this code with anyone. We will NEVER call you to ask for it." While this is still something Megan should normally be reluctant to share, it has much less value to Cueball than a personal secret{{Citation needed}} unless his intent was to steal Megan's account - and even then it's probably useless, as these codes become invalid after they're used (hence the term "one-time") or a few minutes after generation. Cueball compounds the humor by reacting with a shocked gasp, as one would be more expected to react to a dark secret.

Users are generally warned never to tell their password to anyone, not even a support representative of the site; real technical support reps shouldn't ever need your password, and anyone with a true configured-in authority should never even find it necessary to know/use it. However, one tactic that crackers use to break into accounts is to claim to be calling from the site and say that they need your password to fix some vague and/or mythical problem with the account. The title text says that Megan trusts Cueball so much that, despite knowing this, she would divulge her password to him even if he tried this approach on her. There is a further irony here, as Megan is focusing on the exception to the rule ("Don't ''even'' tell an employee" implies "You shouldn't tell ''anyone''") as if it was the most important factor.

The specific number 263827 is a reference to [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Garbage_Compactor_3263827 Garbage Compactor 3263827], a location on the first Death Star in Star Wars.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are holding hands, she has turned her head towards him, while he is still looking at the scenery. They are standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast stretch of land with water to the right and mountains far off. There are many details with lakes and smaller bodies of water on the land, three larger and three smaller clouds near the horizon and the sun is shining from the top right corner.]
:Megan: I've never told anyone this before.

:[Cueball has turned towards Megan, as they are still holding hands, in an otherwise empty panel.]
:Megan: I know I shouldn't.
:Megan: But I feel like I can trust you.

:[Megan and Cueball are no longer holding hands as he has taken both his hands up in front of his mouth and a sound escapes him, as shown with small lines coming off his head with the speech line going up from above them.]
:Megan: My one-time code is 263827.
:Cueball: ''*Gasp*''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Computer security]]