Written by Erin Selfe Senior Vice President Information Technology
Many people use the same password across multiple accounts. This is dangerous and is one of the leading causes of data breaches. Cybercriminals use programs to figure out variations of breached user names and passwords to gain access to other online accounts. Once they have one account cracked, they move on quickly to try the same or simple variations on others.
During the course of operating your business, you may have many online sites that you use daily. You may have many supplier sites that you need to access. Make sure you have different passwords for all interactions with your business partners. If your password is compromised, a hacker can look for other business partners through social engineering and try that same username and password on other partner systems.
Remember to always use strong and unique passwords. Simple passwords can be hacked in less than a minute whereas others can take centuries to crack. For example, 1234567890 can be cracked in under a minute. Butt3rfli3snFir3fli3s! could take centuries. Some other tips are:
- Use phrases instead of words
- Add symbols in the middle of the password not just at the end or the beginning
- Don’t repeat words or numbers
- Don’t use information such as your pet’s name or your address
Many people don’t use unique passwords because it is a lot to manage. However, a password manager can help store passwords securely. It is always much easier to inconvenience ourselves with passwords than having the interruption of a cyber incident! Talk to your IT department or other trusted technology advisor.
