Securing your Data with Strong Passwords is Easier than you Think

This post is part of  Skyen’s Guide to Small Business Technology

Phishing, hacks, and spoofing will always be a concern when conducting business online.  Weak passwords are a huge factor in these various security breaches. Since creating a secure password can be difficult for many,  so we’re going to walk you through the process of creating a password that is secure and memorable.

Creating A Password

Two of the categories your password should fall into should be:

• The password is long or contains a “passphrase.”
• The password or “passphrase” isn’t well-known.

Before we elaborate on how you can achieve these goals and create a secure password for your personal information, we’re going to explain how hackers crack passwords. One of the most popular methods of password retrieval is through a “brute-force attack,” which is when a hacker begins with a familiar list of passwords & combinations that you would use to essentially guess your password.  If this method fails, which is often does, hackers have tools that can run a large number of passwords against a site very quickly, often with every word in the dictionary.  This type of attack is called a “dictionary attack” which is why your password should never just be a word that may be in the dictionary.

This help puts password hacking into context and underscores how important it is for you to create a secure password that is easy to remember… yet hard for hackers to guess.

Passphrases

Creating a passphrase is much like creating a password, but a little more elaborate. Passphrases are basically sentences or phrases that make sense to you and only you. However, you should stay away from common phrases from pop culture that someone could easily guess or something that you find yourself uttering often. For example: “may the force be with you” might be easy to crack if you’re a known Star Wars fan.

Memorability

Many people believe that a h6 password is something that’s so complicated that it is hard to remember. However, a h6 password should be something that you can remember with ease and does not need to be overly complicated for the sake of being complicated.  This is why passphrases are coming up as the tool of choice for securing your accounts and data.

Multi-Factor Authentication

In addition to a h6 paraphrase, we highly recommend using multi-factor authentication when available on the website or application.  Multi-factor authentication or 2FA is a second layer of protection that verifies your identity by using more than one factor.  Such 2FA protocols include answering security questions, entering a code received via txt or email message, or using a 2FA App such as google authenticator which serves up a new code every minute, making access quick and easy.

At the end of the day, protecting your data should be top of mind at all times.  Hackers are expert innovators and their tactics evolve daily.  By employing some the strategies mentioned above, you will be positioning yourself for optimal protection in today’s information age.  If you or your company need help getting started with h6 password or 2FA, don’t hesitate to reach out to Skyen for assistance.  Our friendly support technicians are always available to help.

This post is part of  Skyen’s Guide to Small Business Technology