Maintaining a secure password is the first line of defense between your data and cybercriminals. In 2024 a weak password consisting of numbers and lowercase letters can be cracked instantly. Using complex passwords is crucial to protecting your business from those who want to steal your information, money, and more.
The Importance of a Secure Password
Weak passwords can put your business information at risk, often causing breaches that will damage your reputation and result in substantial economic loss. When your employees do not practice using different and secure passwords for each account, your company is at a high risk for a data breach. Over 80% of breaches result from stolen, weak, or reused passwords. In addition to weak passwords, there are many other threats to password security in 2024.Β
Threats to Password Security in 2024
To properly protect your business accounts, awareness of the different vulnerabilities to password security is critical. The more aware you are, the better you can protect your business. Some of the top threats to password security are highlighted below.
- Phishing
Phishing is an email sent to trick the user into entering credentials into a bogus site. Many types of phishing include text message phishing (smishing) and phishing phone calls (vishing).Β
- Data Leak
When large companies experience a data leak, your company credentials may become available on the dark web where hackers can access them.
- Password Cracking
The act of password cracking refers to password hacking through social engineering, a brute force attack, or a password recovered from a data leak. There are also programs used to guess weak passwords and can often do so in a matter of seconds.
- Weak Passwords
A weak password is under 8 characters, without a mix of upper and lower case, no numbers or all numbers, and will not include any symbols. Creating a secure password will make guessing your password much more difficult and keep your accounts protected.Β
- Malicious Software
If an employee downloads malicious software from a phishing email or a website, their keystrokes may be monitored or remote software could be installed.Β
How to Make a Secure Password
A secure password will include upper AND lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and will be over 8 characters long. Replacing letters with symbols such as @ for βaβ and ! for βiβ and opting for phrases instead of significant dates and names is effective for creating more secure passwords. Using your favorite movie, book, or album title can also help you create a secure password, with a few tweaks, of course.
Two Factor Authentication
Enabling two-factor authentication can make a huge difference when it comes to password security. If using your phone or email is not an option for you, try using an authenticator app. An authenticator app generates a new code every minute to ensure maximum security. Using two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to every account.
Professional Password Managers for Businesses
If you are struggling to maintain password security for your business, deploying a professional password manager will help exponentially. Your employees will be able to save passwords securely as well as authentication codes. If youβre interested in a professional password manager for your business, contact us at Computek!
With managed services, we can add a password manager that will cover your entire company. Schedule a free consultation today at 512-869-1155 or book online at Computekonline.com
Thatβs all for this week, weβll see you next time for Tech Tip Tuesday!
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