Password Security Guide: How to Ensure the Strength of Your Passwords
Passwords are the keys to your online life. If you have a weak password, someone can easily break into your accounts and steal all of your businesses’ information, including banking records, credit card numbers, or client information. You may not think that anyone would want to do this to your company, but it happens more often than you might think.There are over 6 million hacked passwords every day. But if you follow these simple steps for creating strong passwords, no one will ever be able to get access again without knowing what they are looking for.
Mix Numbers, Letters, and Special Characters
The simplest way to make a password is to take some random characters and throw numbers in the mix. But there are programs out on the internet that will quickly crack this type of password. Instead, you should use upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.The best passwords use all four character types because it's tough to crack a password that includes every character type. You can have spaces, dashes, and other symbols as long as you use them consistently through the password.
Use a Password Manager
Have trouble keeping track of all of your passwords? You should use a password manager to keep everything organized. Password managers will store all of your login information in an encrypted business password vault.The best password managers also offer software for mobile and desktop devices, so you can easily use the same passwords on different devices without having any security concerns.
Use Long Passwords
A long password is much more secure than a short one. A short passcode can be quickly broken by brute force to try every combination of characters until the correct one is found.For example, imagine you have a straightforward password with just three letters. If someone tried to crack this password using brute force, it would take them an average of about 6 hours or less.
Don't Use Names in a Password
Don't use your name, your spouse's name, your kids' names, or anything else that would be easily guessed. This is probably the most common method of creating passwords, and as such, it has become highly insecure.
Avoid Reusing Passwords
Even if you use a password manager, using the same password across multiple systems is very dangerous. This means that you should keep your personal email password utterly different from your business passwords. Doing this will make it much harder for someone to crack into your accounts and access sensitive information. Never reuse a password. It seems obvious, but many people don't practice it. Consider creating as many passwords as your business needs to ensure that you never have the same one twice. If you want to use similar passwords, always remember to change them up just enough so that someone can't guess which one you're using.
Secure Your Devices
Make sure that all of your devices are secure before you create any passwords. If someone gets access to your computer, they will have the ability to snoop through everything on it, so make sure that your files are encrypted or hidden.The internet is a dangerous place. It may be difficult to believe, but there are millions of hacked passwords every day, but don't worry, as you can learn how to create strong passwords that will keep your information safe and secure on the web.Remember to adopt the best practices, such as using secure devices.