It’s really frightening to see just how vulnerable we are to attack from hackers. A password is not secure enough to be safe from compromise unless you take some precautionary steps.

Here are our suggestions to password safety:

1. Use long passwords with variations of numbers, letters, and symbols so they are not easy to guess.
   Do not use your kid’s name, your dog’s name, your mother’s name, or the name of your company, sirname, favorite team followed by ’01’. This is something we see often and leaves you extremely vulnerable to attack.
   And for goodness sake, definitely don’t use ‘password’ as your password! That is literally like leaving your front door house key under the mat or a stack of cash under your mattress. It’s obvious and will be the first place a hacker (or burglar) will look.
2. Use a password management tool.
   There are so many great tools out there that help with password management. If you’re creating long, secure passwords, it’s hard to remember them all. Just about everything we do these days requires a password and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them (don’t use the same one for everything…). A great way to manage all of your strong and secure passwords is to sign up for a cloud based password manager that houses all your passwords securely in one place. Some examples of great tools are: passportalmsp.com, lastpass.com, dashlane.com, and many others.
3. Use Multi-factor Authentication.
   A two-step login adds another layer of security. If a hacker steals your password out of a database, you can still keep them out of your account. You do so by adding a second layer that they can rarely intercept. One form of two-step logins (often called two-factor authentication) is called text verification. This is where you get a code texted to your mobile phone the minute you’ve entered your password on the website. Or, instead of a text code, it might send a push notification to a multi-factor authentication app installed on your phone. It takes both actions to unlock the account, giving you twice the protection for very little extra work. A thief might have hacked your password out of a database, but they probably don’t have access to your phone.

The importance of good password hygiene can’t be stressed enough. It is a foundational aspect to your business computer security and a gateway for hackers to compromise your data.

For more information about keeping your business computers, servers and other devices safe and secure, CONTACT US for a FREE EXPRESS CYBER SECURITY CHECK!
Here’s what’s included:

• Dark Web Scan ($95 value)

• Personal Information Scan ($295 value)

• Vulnerability Assessment ($295 value)

• Email Phishing Test ($95 value)

• Wireless Network Scan ($195 value)

• Security Risk Assessment ($295 value)