The days are gone when someone might just peep into your shoulder and try to gain your password. Hackers and cybercriminals have also leveraged the technology exceedingly well for cracking your password. Your password can easily be determined by the cyber attackers and this is purely dependent on the length and the possible combinations that you use in your password.
Talking about your smartphones or even the pin of your credit & debit cards, they are usually are four digits long, which means there are just 10 possible ways that you have per number. In a nutshell, to crack your 4-digit pin, there are possibly 10k combinations. Well, for humans, this is far too much, but for advanced technology like password cracking software, this can be done not even in a minute.
Well, this might sound worrying for most of you, isn’t it? Well, as the leading web hosting and security services provider, bodHOST recommends you adhere to the tips that will be shared in the upcoming sections, for a stronger password on account of World Password Day 2020.
Tips for Stronger Password
A strong password can be complicated for hackers to guess and help in maintaining the integrity of your data present across various online accounts. As a business owner, you should also pass on these tips to your employees, so that there is no compromise in data security in your organization.
bodHOST, being a customer-centric company, wants you to follow the below-mentioned tips for a stronger password and enhanced security for your accounts.
1. Increase the Length of Your Passwords
Today with so much advancement in technology, hackers have started using various methods for sneaking into your accounts. One of the most common ways is known as a “brute force attack.” In this type of attack, the hacker’s system runs every possible combination of letters, numbers along with special characters with the intent to crack your passwords. So, it is advised to create a long and complex password, such that the process of brute attack takes long, ultimately making it difficult to guess it. A study has stated that shorter passwords take significantly less time to crack.
2. Your Passwords Can Be Nonsense Phrases
Yes, your passwords can be a nonsense phrase. Longer passwords that contain random words and phrases are always a better option. You must also make sure that these password phrases aren’t easily discovered or present in any published literature. A password that might not be grammatically correct is often difficult to guess. Also, you must avoid sequential characters such as numbers in order (1-9) or even the widely used “qwerty.”
Common Weak Passwords
3. Have a Mix of Numbers, Symbols, and Letters
To make your passwords more robust, you should always have a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters. You should look to mix these randomly and can also hack like- using a zero in place of the letter O or even using! in place of 1. In case you’re using a password phrase, then you can also capitalize the first letter of each word, making it easier for you to remember your password.
4. Never Use Your Personal Information
Today, the digital footprint of everyone is growing at a tremendous rate and most of us often share some of our personal information on the Internet, mostly on social media accounts. Hackers have been active on the Internet and they’re always trying to sneak in your personal information. So, to have stronger passwords, you should avoid using your personal data that might be easily cracked. Also, if you need to select security questions, you should select the questions that might be easily guessable.
5. Never Reuse Passwords
In the case of large-scale hacks, hackers often publish a list of compromised email addresses and passwords online. You should always have unique yet difficult-to-guess passwords for various online accounts. Having the same passwords for different accounts makes it easier for hackers to imagine it and drain out all your key information from your accounts.
6. Use a Password Manager
Having a password manager for your accounts helps in auto-generating and storing passwords for your online accounts. With password managers, your passwords get encrypted and stored in a centralized repository. You can access your centralized password repository with a password and you should make sure that you don’t lose out this password.
7. Different Accounts; Different Passwords
As a responsible netizen, you need to understand the importance of different passwords. You must inevitably make sure that you have assigned a different password for your various online accounts. If you use a single password across other accounts, then it becomes relatively easy for hackers or cybercriminals to penetrate your accounts and leak out crucial information. As previously mentioned, you can even store all your passwords in a password manager offered by a reputed company.
8. Update Your Passwords Regularly
Having updated your passwords regularly is one of the most important considerations for a stronger password. Remember, the higher your sensitive information is, the higher should be the frequency of changing your password. Make sure to not use the same password again for a long time once you have changed it.
9. Never Store Your Passwords on Public Devices
You should try and avoid using your password if you’re using a public device. You never know when it gets stored on such devices. In case you’re accessing public Wi-Fi, you should avoid going to websites where you need to log in to your account. Your data might even get hacked when you use an unsecured public network. To prevent such threats on public networks, you should install SSL certificates from a trusted provider like bodHOST for your website.
Concluding Notes
Passwords are just the first line of defense for any account. If you want to have enhanced security protection, you should make sure that you follow the tips mentioned above. Having a robust password security policy in place, you can safeguard your account and the information in it.
If you’re looking for other security solutions, this World Password Day, don’t forget to visit bodHOST and incorporate the best security mechanisms for your business.