Tip: Choosing the Right Password

Whether you like it or not, the password is the most important part of your cybersecurity policy. That’s saying something with all the tools and strategies out there designed to keep unauthorized users from accessing your accounts. Maybe they aren't the most comprehensive security solution, but they are by far the most frequently used and there are some things every user should know to help them build successful passwords. This month, we’ll go into four things every computer user should know about building strong and reliable passwords

The Longer, the Better

When you are talking about passwords, the longer, the better. The more characters that need to be guessed to crack into an account, the less likely hackers will be able to. A good rule of thumb is to make a password over 12 characters long. One way to do this is to consider using a passphrase. Instead of 12 random characters, you would never be able to remember, try creating passwords that combine random words. This ensures that it is not easy to guess but much, much easier for you to remember.

Use a Variety of Characters

Many password platforms will require you to use various characters, but even if they don’t, you should. This means creating passwords with a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Another good tip is to not just add special characters at the end if they are required. Use them as a substitute for another character so they are less likely to be guessed. If you mix them in throughout a password, the sophisticated password-cracking tools will have many more variables to guess, reducing the chances they’ll guess your password.

Keep It Impersonal

Surprising as it may be, hackers can glean significant information from social media accounts. If you use personal information for your password, whether because you can’t help yourself or simply wouldn’t be able to remember your passwords without a tidbit of personal info in there, you need to stop. You won’t want to use your name, easily accessed information about you or simple passwords to try and protect your accounts. So even if you think the password “12345” is funny, don’t use it. Don’t use single words, as many hackers can conduct what are called dictionary attacks. You will need to use complex passwords. Using a password manager can be a great solution as they can provide you with unguessable and utterly random passwords and keep them encrypted for you.

Use Different Passwords

Sure, you may think you have come up with an uncrackable password that not even Robert Langdon could guess, and you want to use it for every account you have, you definitely shouldn’t. No matter how secure you think a password is, if you use it on multiple accounts and it gets compromised, you may be looking at a massive problem. At the very least, you’re looking at hours and hours setting up new passwords for all of your accounts. Use unique and complex passwords for every account you have, and you won’t have to worry about it. 

Passwords are so important to organizational cybersecurity that knowing the best practices isn’t just good; it’s mandatory to keep your business secure. For more information about password protection and cybersecurity in general, visit our blog.