Do you remember what your first password was? It was probably something very simple like your petsname1 or awesome321. Password criteria has since changed over the years as we use technology more and more through our daily activities.
Bank accounts, social media accounts, email accounts, credit card accounts, and much more, all require a password. Having a STRONG password ensures security and confidentiality of your data. It’s your responsibility as a user to make sure the passwords are as difficult to guess as possible. Weak passwords allow the hackers to quickly steal your data and information in a matter of seconds. Once that data is stolen, you never know if or when you will ever get it back.
Passwords should never include:
- A combination like abc123, password/passw0rd, or combinations of ANY personal information
- No string of sequential letters or numbers or intact words
- 123456 is ranked the number one easiest password to guess and is the most breachable
- Never reuse OLD passwords
Guidelines:
- Contain a mix of uppercase and lower case letters, punctuation, numbers, and symbols
- Use at least 8 characters
- NOTHING obvious; you want randomness
- NEVER share your password
- Make a pass phrase that you can remember
- Use a synonym or an acronym
- For example: The Best IT Solutions–> TBit$6725
- Break up words as much as possible as hackers have codes that try every word in the dictionary, especially intact words
- Dictionary attacks and brute force attacks are the most common
Don’t make it easy for hackers to get your information. Make them work for it so they end up empty-handed. Allow Opal Business Solutions to help your business by enforcing a password policy on your server and assist with password resets.
Contact us today to learn more!
