Everyone. Hates. Remembering. Passwords. Everyone.
And, yet, it’s impossible to do our work without them, isn’t it? Because there’s so much cyber-crime about (it’s the fastest growing crime in the world right now).
What a conundrum. You need a long, randomly generated password to stop criminals’ brute force guessing it using intelligent software.
But the longer and more random it is, the less likely it is you’ll ever remember it.
Luckily, I bring good news. There is a short-term fix to this, while a long-term fix is on the way. We’ll start with the long-term.
Microsoft has declared open war on passwords. It absolutely hates them, and would prefer we all used biometrics instead – such as our fingerprints.
Microsoft declared this year it’s going to work its hardest to kill passwords and replace them. Already, 150 million people every month use Microsoft’s password-less sign-in to get into their Windows computer.
I think it will take a few years for this to trickle down and affect businesses around here. So, here’s what you can do in the meantime to make life easier for you and your team.
I call this my Passwords 1-2-3. It’ll make your business safer against cybercriminals but also make daily operations less stressful for everyone.
Use long, randomly generated passwords.
The longer they are, full of randomly generated characters, the harder you’re making it for computers to brute force guess your password. For example, a 16-character-long randomly generated password will take about 420 trillion years to crack. I’m not kidding!
Track them with a password manager.
Password managers are the secret to making your life easier. No normal human can remember a randomly generated 16-character password, but a password manager can, on your behalf. And yes, they are safe to use. We highly recommend them. For example, if one of your staff members leaves and he or she has been using the company password manager, you can lock them out of all systems with the push of a button.
Use multi-factor authentication.
Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security. You know, when you log in to your bank, you must generate a code on a separate device. That’s what this software does. It proves to the app that it’s you. There are various levels of this, from receiving text messages, generating codes or having a physical device you plug into your computer. QCBN
By Theo Soumilas
For additional information or to schedule an appointment to assist your business with a Cyber Crime defense program, call 928-719-7724 or visit northernazit.com.
Theo Soumilas is the owner of Northern Arizona IT servicing the Quad Cities, Phoenix and Northern Arizona.
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