Tech Force
  • Home
  • I.T. Support
  • Managed Services
  • Cloud Solutions
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Tech Bits & Bytes Blog

National Password Day: Time to Refresh Your Passwords

5/6/2021

Comments

 
​We often tend to be creatures of habit, particularly when it comes to technology.  Passwords are a prime example.  Many of us use the same logins for multiple websites and applications because we don't have a photographic memory.  A large percentage of users aren’t aware that this is one of the most significant security dangers they can face online.  It has a simple fix too. 
Picture
Regularly, in the news today, there are stories about major companies being hacked, their customer data stolen, and their customers left stranded.  Hackers commonly use data stolen from one site to access others where login credentials have been reused between accounts.  In some cases, access to bank accounts has been gained simply by using a compromised email account.

Businesses and individuals can face significant losses simply because a third party outside their control has been hacked or compromised.

The Danger Of Old Passwords
MySpace is a key example of why old and possibly forgotten services pose a security danger when passwords haven't been regularly changed.  Once a thriving popular network, the use of MySpace services declined drastically from 2007 onwards.  While many people moved to new social networks, old accounts typically remained abandoned on their servers.  Hundreds of millions of accounts remained on MySpace servers many years past the firm's peak.

In 2016, MySpace suffered a data leak which exposed usernames, emails, and passwords of 360 million user accounts.  Shortly after the hack, these details were published online for anyone to see.  Many were used to access email accounts, servers, and accounts that shared the same details.

Shared Responsibility
Even if you have never had a MySpace or social media account personally, how many of your employees or coworkers have one or more?  Many have had more social media, forum, or game accounts than they care to remember.  Have their passwords been updated since 2016?

Your business network protects your systems, work, and intellectual property.  For many firms it's the single most critical component, the backbone to business operations.  Keeping it secure regardless of the number of people, staff or clients using it is a crucial task.

Consider how many people currently have access and how many of those may reuse their password on another website or service.  Just reusing your password once can expose you to the hacking of a third party entirely out of your control.

Password Management
Good security practice is to use a unique and strong password for every login you use.  A strong password should include, where possible, capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and character symbols.  Many consider this impractical or even impossible, but it is entirely achievable for every firm.

It is clearly impossible to manually remember a strong password for each one of the dozens of logins needed today.  Few would even attempt to.  A password manager makes storing, retrieving, and using unique passwords easy.

When using a password manager, an individual is required to remember only one single strong password to access a database which contains a different login password for each service.  This database can be synced between multiple devices, saved and backed up to the cloud, and even used to create strong passwords for you.

Strong Protection
Password managers can be used to implement security policies that demand zero password reuse, between services or over time, and set strict limits over the duration a password can last.  With the right policies in place, both your business and your employees are protected against attacks from hackers that have compromised third-party sites.

The maximum recommended lifetime of a password for any service is a single year.  There's no time like National Password Day to refresh your passwords and start new.

To help keep on top of your security and make sure your accounts are safe, give us a call at 262-515-9499
Comments

    Tech Force Blog

    We provide you with  important, practical tips and insight for your technology and networks for both home and business.

      Contact Us for Help!

    Submit Request

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    Categories

    All
    Business Continuity
    Business IT
    Cloud Computing
    Cyber Security
    Networking
    Tech Talk

    RSS Feed

Get in touch with us!

p.   (262) 515-9499
e.   support@techforceonline.com

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday:  9am - 5pm

Contact Us Today!
Remote Support
Residential Online Backup

Picture

See what our clients have to say...

Very pleased with Tech Force!  We've been using Tech Force for over four years now.  We've had a lot of different people do computer and IT stuff for us, but Tech Force is the first to come in and implement a plan.  The plan was executed and we've had no problems.

Tech Force is very good at getting back to you when you have a problem. You don't have to wait and wait for things to get done. If they can't take care of the problem remotely, they will come over here. They always send somebody who is skilled and knows how to take care of the problem, unlike the companies we've used in the past. We've been very pleased with Tech Force!  ~ Ed V., Advanced Spine & Sport

More Client Reviews

Read Our Customer Reviews


We service Racine, Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant, Wind Point, Union Grove, Elmwood Park, Franksville, Caledonia, Kenosha, Somers, Pleasant Prairie, Bristol, Parkside, Oak Creek and Franklin, WI and surrounding areas. Copyright © 2009-2023 Tech Force Computer Service, LLC.
  • Home
  • I.T. Support
  • Managed Services
  • Cloud Solutions
  • Blog
  • Contact Us