Is your password safe

In recent times we are seeing an increased report of user accounts being hacked, passwords leaked from well-known websites, and general abuse and misuse of user passwords.

It is amazing the amount of people that use the same common passwords across all their accounts. ie. Facebook, banking, email, work login

With computer viruses written to steal passwords stored on computers, it is critical to ensure passwords are stored in a secure manner and that all possible care is taken.

Here are our top ten tips to keeping your password safe:

1. Don’t use common passwords (here is a list of the worst passwords you could have – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/20/worst-passwords_n_6507764.html
2. Store your passwords in a secure application like keepass.  http://keepass.info/
3. Try to follow the password standard below to increase your password quality. A combination of:
   • Uppercase
   • Lowercase
   • Numbers
   • 8 or more characters long
4. Don’t select remember my password on websites as your computer will store the password in plain text, which anyone with access to your computer can view
5. Use a different password for each account
6. Change regularly used passwords on a frequent basis
7. Ensure no one is watching you type the password
8. Ensure all websites are secured that require passwords (i.e HTTPS://)
9. Use a sentence rather than a word (i.e myp@sswordismoreSecure)
10. Avoid dictionary words, words spelt backwards, and personal information

If you would like advice on password policies or feel your business would benefit from a free IT Assessment please feel free to contact one of consultants; phone 03 9024 6394 or email support@CareIT.com.au