Gaining access via a password is the simplest way for any cybercriminal to do a lot of damage. That might happen via a phishing attack where you’re convinced to give up your details in an email or something that you have less control over like malware that installs a keylogger and tracks what you type. Although there are some hacks that can overcome strong password security, ensuring that you have the best possible password strength is a great place to begin. So, how do you do this?
- Make sure it’s a varied password – The more variety you include in your password, the harder it will be for someone to guess. So, that means a combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and special characters. A password that is almost completely random is going to be much harder to guess than one that makes sense.
- Pick a really long password – Again, it stands to reason that it will be harder to get the password right if it’s longer, rather than shorter. Think about picking numbers for a winning lottery ticket – you’d probably find it much easier to do if you only had to choose 2 rather than 15. When it comes to passwords, the longer the better – you want to ensure that cybercriminals don’t win the password lottery. Steer clear of choosing something memorable, as that will instantly make it easier to guess. The best approach is long, complex and random.
- Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts – Any hacker that successfully cracks your password on one account will inevitably try it in as many places as possible. So, if all your accounts can be accessed with the same password then you are leaving yourself very vulnerable. If you struggle to remember multiple passwords then try using a reputable password management tool so that you can keep track of them all individually.
- Back up your protection with multi-factor authentication – No matter how exceptional your password is, the reality is that it could still potentially be broken. So, it’s always worth having an additional layer of protection in place. With multi-factor authentication, it will take multiple methods to validate your identity, such as a password plus a text message. This helps to ensure that if someone does guess your password they still can’t get into the account, as they won’t be able to complete all the authentication required.
- Avoid changing your password too much – If you’re using a really strong password and you’ve never had any issues with it then it often makes sense to stick with that password for an extended period of time. This will help you to ensure that you don’t forget your password and also mean that you avoid doing anything that could compromise security, such as writing it down.
Choosing a strong password will make life much easier in terms of keeping data and systems safe and ensuring that you don’t have to deal with the consequences of a hack.
SADS IT are cyber security experts. We can help you protect yourselves from attack and in the event of an attack.
We also help businesses pass their cyber essentials accreditations by guiding them through the entire process. If you’d like our assistance, contact us.
