Passwords Hold Everything Together

Passwords are often all that stands between hackers and account information; this is true for both personal and business data. However, passwords are often not enough to protect data from the clutches of hackers. We’ll walk you through how to ensure your organization implements only the most powerful of passwords, as well as additional security measures to guarantee maximum protection.

Creating a Secure Password

The best password is one that is easy to remember, but difficult to guess by someone else. The best passwords contain a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, which unfortunately creates passwords that are difficult to remember. Thus, users are put in a conundrum where secure passwords are necessary, but impossible to remember in the traditional sense. We recommend using what we call passphrases, which take something easy to remember, then make it alphanumeric for added security.

Making multiple passwords only increases the issue, as not only do you have to remember one complex passphrase, but multiple phrases as well. Password management remedies this issue somewhat, as it can be used to create a “master password” that can populate a password as needed based on the website used. Passwords are stored in an encrypted database where they are only accessed as needed, keeping you from needing to remember all of them.

Two-Factor Authentication

Passwords on their own aren’t quite as effective as they once were, as any hacker worth their salt can plug in the correct credentials and hack an account. One method that organizations are using to counter this trend is two-factor authentication, which uses an additional passcode sent to a mobile device or external account to further secure the account. What this essentially means is that anyone hoping to hack the account will need access to both the credentials and the device used as the two-factor authentication method in order to do so, which means that hackers have to do twice the amount of work.

Two-factor authentication methods vary from account to account, but most cloud-based applications will have an opportunity to set it up. Some of the methods include a text message containing a randomly generated pass code, biometric scanners for irises or fingerprints, and more. We certainly recommend you set 2FA on any account you have, as it only augments security.

Computerware can help your business optimize account security through the implementation of password managers and two-factor authentication. To learn more, reach out to us at (703) 821-8200.