Hackers prefer targeting weak security filters to gain a forced entry to attack vulnerable users and steal valuable information. Despite the repeated emphasis on healthy password habits, it’s surprising that many companies fail to act upon the requirement. Thus, password hack is, in fact, more common than you think. All IoT devices, therefore, should be assigned an individual and strong password to reduce the risk of online security breaches. The best password habits that are extremely helpful are given below.
- Strength And Uniqueness
Whatever password you choose, just make sure that it is at least 8 characters long and the characters should be complex. Some examples of making simple characters unique are given below.
- DOG can be written as 4O7, D15g, d15G, and so on
- Use unique symbols like ©, ®, $, #, and so on
- Use uppercase and lowercase letters for extra uniqueness
Some other practices that can make a difference include;
- Not repeating a single password for any two devices/accounts
- Not sharing the password with many people. Lesser known, the safer it is
- Password Variations
You can use the MFA technique instead of following the traditional means of app protection. The MFA or multi-factor authentication is a sequential method of dividing user recognition into multiple stages. Using biometrics like fingerprinting as one of the stages increase the system security manifolds. The user needs to clear all stages to access the device/app.
- Lockout Feature
Enabling the lockout option is very effective in reducing the risk of a forced entry by someone unauthorized. When the limit for making successful login attempts increase, the account is locked and the user is notified. Thus, you should be using this password based system protection technique too.
- Password Management
Password maintenance and management can be done in a lot of ways.
- You can install password managing tools since it is not possible to memorize long and complicated passwords.
- Refrain from logging into your accounts from unprotected systems.
- If you use a system different than yours, remember to log out when you’re done.
- Never save information on an unencrypted file.
- Monitor Employees
Employees are assets but they can become threats if they do not follow certain ground rules.
- It is better to ignore unsolicited emails
- It is better to not use unprotected tools and applications for finishing the work quickly
- It is better to confine the username and password and not share it with anybody
These few tips can prevent employees from unknowingly slipping the passwords in the wrong hands or accidentally allowing access to malware in the network.