Businesses are dealing with a diverse range of cybersecurity threats. Identifying these threats is just the start; it is also important to take precautionary cybersecurity measures and adopt practices that can keep cybercriminals & hackers at bay. Big companies, such as Facebook & Google, are running bug bounty programs and engaging ethical hacker community to find security vulnerabilities, and this is an apt way of staying a step ahead of hackers. You company can also consider to get cameras hacked and IT environment tested by ethical hackers, but when it comes to password policies, basic steps go a long way in preventing a hack. In this post, we are sharing all that you need to know about password protection.
- Create long passwords. Longer the password, the better – Long passwords are hard to crack, and for business and personal needs, passwords need to be at least 10 characters long.
- Strong passwords are a must. A strong password is complex and often not easy to remember. Encourage your employees to use a mix of characters, including numbers, uppercase & lowercase letters, and special characters.
- Change all default usernames and passwords. Once devices, such as computers, software, IP cameras, have been installed, make it a point to change all default usernames and passwords. It doesn’t take long for even new hackers to crack default passwords.
- Recommend a password management platform. There are a bunch of tools and programs designed for better password management. Employees have to remember numerous passwords, and using a tool just makes it easy to retrieve and create strong and long passwords.
- Consider using end-to-end encryption. For selected email attachments and files, adding a second layer of password protection is a wise idea. Even if a hacker hacks into an email, they cannot access critical files.
- Incorporate the lock-out feature. If someone tries to login into an account unsuccessfully for more than three times, the lock-out feature will lock that account for at least 24 to 48 hours. Many financial institutions and businesses are already using this feature to prevent attacks on passwords.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for selected accounts. For networked device and privilege accounts, using multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a wise idea. From adding one or two security questions, to use of biometrics, there are many new authentication methods that can be used beyond a single password.
Take the steps towards password protection, and ensure that your employees are aware of how hackers are attacking accounts, devices, and passwords.
