Make That Password Secure!
A strong password is your first line of defense against intruders and imposters.
When considering passwords, here are some general rules to make your passwords more secure:
- Never give out your password to anyone (no one should have a need to ask for your password to do their job duties)
- Don’t use one password for all accounts (if you do and one account gets compromised, they all get compromised)
- Create passwords that are easy to remember but hard for others to guess by using passphrases (Combinations of words that don’t make up common phrases, such as “CantaloupesBounceVeryHigh” or, even more secure, “Kumquat1Bicycle7Arborist!”)
- Make the password at least 12 characters long (the longer a password is, the harder it is for it to be cracked with hacking tools)
- Include numbers, capital letters and symbols (this will increase the number of possibilities for each character from 26 to 75+)
- Don’t use dictionary words (password cracking tools will typically try dictionary words immediately, as they are easily broken)
- Don’t post it in plain sight (if your password is in plain sight, it can be easily copied or stolen)
- Consider using a password manager (managers such as KeePass allow you to store multiple passwords securely, while only having to remember a single password to access the manger)
If you have any concerns, feel free to reach out and discuss password security with us.
