We here at Kappa believe that cybersecurity is vital to a successful business and strong passwords are a security must. Passwords are used to log into programs, computers, cloud- based services and much, much more. For this reason, it is a must to create and protect your passwords with care. Careless use of passwords is as bad as leaving the front door of your home wide-open.
According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Report, 63% of data breaches involved weak or stolen passwords. It is important for you and the business you work for to create passwords that will protect your work environment from a security breach.
How To Create A Strong, Secure Password:
Step 1: Leverage powers of association. Use words you identify and associate with that have personal meaning and use these in your passwords. Make unique associations. Passwords should be words that can go together in your head, but no one else would ever suspect.
Good example: Items in a living room such as: BlueC@uchF1ower
Bad example: Names of children or pets.
Step 2: Use Symbols, Numbers, Upper Case and Lower Case characters.
Step 3: Use a minimum of 8 characters and a maximum of 16 characters.
Step 4: Protect and safeguard your password.
In Addition To Creating Strong Passwords, You Should:
Use a different password or passphrase for each account.
Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. You should not rely on the password alone to protect sensitive data. Multi-factor authentication means returning account holders need more than just their username and password to access an account. They also need, for example, a security code sent as text to a mobile phone.
Try to change the password at least every 3-6 months.
Change all factory-set passwords. You should do this for wireless devices such as printers and routers.
Password NEVERS:
Never leave your password on a sticky note attached to your PC!
Never use a password you have used in the past.
Never share your password with anyone else.
Never save your passwords list on a document stored on your PC.
Never email passwords. ALWAYS call for a password.
Never store passwords in your email.
Never EVER trust unfamiliar links that request your password.
Never write down your password and leave it under your keyboard.
Never use these most commonly used passwords: If you're using any of these passwords, we highly recommend you change it immediately.
No password (pressing enter)
admin
password, password1, PASSWORD, or p@ssword
123, 1234, 12345, or 123456
111111 or 000000
god
letmein
love
pass
secret
money
asdf
passme
welcome
Remember it is up to you to safeguard and protect your passwords. You are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting your company's computer environment from hacks and data breaches.