Passwords are the locks to our online doors. Users often overlook what they are protecting with weak and easy crack passwords. Hackers often perform brute force attacks where a computer guesses every possible password in a list. When a password is mild or relatively weak, a criminal will successfully breach that account, which opens the doors to various other accounts, putting them at risk of being compromised. Here is how to create a secure password and protect your valuable information.
Four Secure Password Techniques
Utilize passphrases instead of single-word passwords- Former hackers testify that single-word passwords are easy to hack. Instead of using just on word, weave three into the mix like “Secure,” “Cyber,” and “Rules.” Since some websites limit password fields to 16 characters, creating passphrases will take some creativity. Make the process fun by thinking outside the box and avoiding common phrases and terms.
Avoid defaulting to linked accounts- this recommendation applies mostly to social apps but comes into play with many business sites, such as digital magazines. If a website offers to use credentials from another account such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, opt for creating a new account instead. While linking credentials is convenient, and trustworthy sites do ask you for your permission and re-authorization frequently, that doesn’t mean they don’t come with risk. If any link in your chain of credentials is breached, your entire digital presence could be compromised.
Require multi-factor authentication for your networks and encourage it for personal devices- Multi-factor authentication combines two or more independent credentials: What the user knows, such as a login and password; what the user has received from a validating authority, such as a security code texted during login; and/or what the user is, such as a biometric verification or fingerprint. Multi-factor authentication is especially important for email accounts, as those applications can become pathways for hackers to other credentials.
Use a password manager- Password managers store your credentials for all the websites you use and help you log in automatically. By encrypting your password database with a master password, a password manager only requires you to remember a single password to gain access to your accounts. The sole aspect to remember when using a password manager is that the master password must be very strong and unique.
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