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Surfing the web
There’s no denying it – the Internet can be a very dangerous place. With instances ranging from email phishing scams to the craziness of the dark web, it is always necessary to be mindful when utilizing the World Wide Web.
One of the most important ways to keep yourself safe is by keeping your passwords safe. Nowadays, it’s impossible to create anything short of “Supercalifragilisticexpialdocious” when making a password. However, this is what is needed to protect your information.
Nine ways to protect your password
This becomes even more crucial when an entire company has information on an account. Recently, Julie Bowden Davis of the American Express Open Forum revealed the nine ways to safeguard your company’s sensitive data.
These tips include: create a complex password, keep it random, use lengthy passwords, avoid enabling automatic login, create different passwords for each site and account, change passwords often, utilize the two-step verification process, avoid using your email address as your login, and try a password manager.
Why this matters
Avoiding these steps makes you more susceptible to being hacked. For example, always using your email address as your login can make it easy for hackers to try that same login on different sites.
This is why it’s especially helpful to switch up your password for each account.
Also, by utilizing a feature such as the two-step verification process (typically where a code is sent to your phone and you have to provide said code to login) you are letting the site know that it’s really you. And, if you receive a code without asking for it, that it is a good indication that you should amp up your password.
Passwords as currency
Executive director of the Federal Bar Association, Stacy King, was reported as saying, “Passwords are valued currency in the Digital Age, and using strong passwords to prevent unauthorized access is a necessity. The ability to transfer customer data, client files, medical records, employee files, financial records and other valuable and sensitive information has presented a new world of legal risks.”
Think twice
If we thought of passwords like currency, as Ms. King states, it may lead us to being more careful with password creation.
The next time you’re tasked with making up a password, think about how much it will be protecting.
