Cybersecurity is on everyone’s mind these days, and for a good reason: more than 80 percent of businesses say they’ve been hacked at least once. Unfortunately, the ones most at risk are smaller companies. Many either don’t think it will happen to them or simply do not treat the threat seriously enough.
How do hackers breach the system? There are many ways, but one of the simplest is to take advantage of poor password policies or behaviors. A recent report found that 68% of Americans use the same password for all their accounts.
Consider Any or All of These Password Management Tips for Your Business
1. Use a Password Manager
People use the same passwords for one simple reason, they’re easier to remember. People already have a lot on their minds, and asking them to remember important and sensitive passwords on top of that will likely lead to security breaches.
A password manager helps users create strong passwords without needing to remember them afterward. That brings peace of mind to the employees and your business. Just make sure that the system’s master password follows security best practices.
2. Have Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Adding another layer of security to your password process can help keep your systems secure. Multi-factor authentication requires users to verify that they are the party logging in by sending a code to their cell phone or confirming approval in an app.
3. Require Passwords to Be Long
The longer a password is, the harder it is to guess. A 12-character password is 62 trillion times harder to crack than a 6-character one. That’s why a password like “Baby Bunnies Love Carrots” is more secure than a seven-character random password like “!@kHYls”
Better technology means that password recommendations have changed, so having at least 16 characters in a password is now the best practice. Remember, if employees are using a password manager, they’ll be less likely to choose a poor password.
4. Educate Employees on Security Risks
Many people think their passwords aren’t important enough to protect, which is one of the reasons they do things like write them down, share them with coworkers, and otherwise put their passwords at risk.
Educate your staff so they understand how vulnerable even small businesses are and how thieves can use stolen information in various harmful ways. They need to know what is at stake and what they can do to help.
5. Enforce Good Password Policies
There are a variety of password management tips for your business that will help make its passwords difficult to guess. Ensure that your system is set up to require these attributes:password management tips for your business
- At least 16 characters
- At least three of the following: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols
- Ensure that employees don’t use their name, the company name, their birthday, or the names of children or pets in their passwords
- Trigger mandatory password changes every 90 days.
6. Limit Access to Specific Information
One of the most dangerous practices is when all information for the business operation is stored on a single server or file system. A thief simply has to breach one password to access everything; if multiple employees have access, your company information is more vulnerable.
You don’t only want to limit the number of people that have access, but you also want to audit those that do. Again, controlling who sees what and knowing what they are looking at will help keep you ahead of threats.
Keep Your Business Safe
The stakes are high when it comes to cybersecurity for your business. Thankfully, by following the tips above, you can better protect your passwords and keep your information safe.
Contact TCI Technologies today to find out how we can help you with your business’s cybersecurity needs.