Password Protection

Monday, April 28, 2014
passcode
What did we do before EVERYTHING had a password?  How in the world did we stay safe from hackers and all the 'bad guys' trying to get into our stuff?  

Today, it seems that we have passwords for everything so many in fact, that we often suffer from password paralysis! According to The Telegraph, the average person uses 10 passwords a day!  Personally, I have a hard enough time remembering my daily agenda- let alone 10 passwords! No matter how hard it is, we simply MUST find new and creative ways to protect our information and whether we like it or not, we are stuck with passwords!
 
Here are a few ideas to help you minimize password paralysis and still keep your information secure!
  • Do not use preset passwords!  This is one on the easiest ways to invite problems because one of the first places criminals start is with the basics.  In the credit card processing world, this is one of the MAIN focuses of preventing credit card fraud.  Be sure to change all factory preset passwords immediately.
    • Do not use the same password for everything!  OK- this is an intriguing idea for those of us who are memory challenged and I have to admit to being guilty of this methodology.  No matter how complex your password is, a single password can really be a problem especially if someone figures it out!  Mix it up a bit and don't get stuck on one password for everything.
    • Longer passwords are more secure.  You may not want to use Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for your password (who REALLY knows how to spell it anyways?) but it is definitely harder to figure out longer passwords.  Elongated passwords are naturally are more difficult to crack so consider moving away from your 6 to 8 digit passwords and add a few digits.
    • Forget the usual suspects!  Your Mother's maiden name may be easy for you to remember AND it is pretty darn easy to figure out!  Pet names, dates of birth, spouses names and so on, tend to be some of the easiest passwords to remember and also the easiest passwords to guess.  So expand your memory and use some new data for your security.
    • Combinations are harder to unlock!  Using a combination of letters, numbers and characters can be one of the ways  to keep hackers at bay.  Of course, the more complicated the password- the harder it is to remember  for you!  (Funny how that works!)  Mix it up to keep the bad guys locked out!

    You might be one of the lucky ones who does not have 10 passwords to remember on a daily basis but EVERYONE gets to deal with the password issue today.  We hope the 5 tips we have provided help you to keep your world locked down and safe from hacker harm!  Check out our Facebook posts for the week of 4/28/14 - 5/2/14 for lots of great tips on passwords and a little humor to lighten this very serious topic!

Cheri Perry 4/28/2014