Today is World Password Day - It’s time for a password refresh!
If you’re like every other average person with an online presence, that means you have a lot of personal data stored online. It’s 2020 and we’re all doing a lot of online banking, shopping, etc, which means there is a large amount of fragile information online. Accounts such as these are examples of those that should be password protected. Weak passwords, or using the same password on multiple platforms can make things easy for hackers, which makes changing them often so vital.
Today is World Password Day - the perfect day to set aside some time to give your passwords a refresh! Here is everything we suggest to help ensure your information is protected.
Check to see if any of your accounts have already been compromised. You can do this by visiting www.haveibeenpwned.com. Also, if you’re using Google Chrome, they are now checking your saved passwords against known breaches and letting you know if you used that password elsewhere. Learn more about this on the Google Help Center now.
Don’t use the same, weak passwords across multiple accounts. Your pets name, the street you live on, birthdays, etc. are all easily guessed by hackers and using them on multiple websites compromises your information further. Use something unique like easy to remember sentences with correct punctuation. This will help satisfy more of the checkboxes of a complex password (Upper case letter, Lower Case Letter, Number, special character)
Be cautious when using free WiFi! It’s convenient but it isn’t secure and can put your sensitive data at risk. Hackers using that same free network can access your activity - knowing that, would you want to be looking at your bank account or typing in credit card information on public WiFi? No! Unless absolutely necessary, save the credit cards and banking info for when you’re home on a secure WiFi network. Use of a VPN like NordVPN or Express VPN can help protect you.
Last but certainly not least make sure you take advantage of Multifactor authentication(MFA). Most banks and other important sites allow you to use MFA. MFA just means you need another way to tell the site you are the authorized user. Most common way to do this is a simple SMS(Text Message) code to your cell phone. You’ll enter this after you put in your regular password. It’s an extra step but it prevents 99% of unauthorized logins. Alternatively there’s an app for that, Apps like Google Authenticator, DUO, Microsoft Authentication Manager can all provide that second factor of authentication.
You can manage all of your passwords on a free password manager such as Lastpass (cloud based) , Keypass (stored on your PC), or Google Chrome password manager.
Now, ready to do that password refresh? Passwords are vital in protecting your personal data, so get to it!