Everything You Need To Know About Business Password Safety

Did you know that the vast majority of data breaches happen because of a lack of proper password security? Hackers are fully aware of how careless businesses tend to be about passwords, which is why they continue to strike. Although business owners are generally aware of the risks posed by weak passwords, they still fail to ensure password security because of how much they have on their plates already.

Luckily, ensuring business password safety is not a difficult task, especially now that there are special cybersecurity tools like business password managers.

Keep reading to find out the main password safety threats businesses are facing today, as well as some easy ways to tackle these threats.

What are the main threats?

There are many ways in which passwords can get leaked, and here are some of the most common:

●    Brute force attacks. This is a hacking technique where a special tool is used to guess a password. The easier the password, the quicker it can be cracked. This is why people are encouraged to use very strong passwords.

●    Insider threats. This is when someone from within your company, like an employee, leaks your business passwords. It can be done on purpose or completely by accident. Because of insider threats, you should limit access to sensitive business data.

●    Phishing. Phishing is when hackers try to fool users into trusting them and revealing business passwords. Phishing can come in many forms, such as phone calls, emails, or pop-ups. Always keep an eye out for phishing, and never trust any person or email at first glance.

●    Unsecure Wifi. Hackers often take advantage of weak Wifi encryption, which is especially common in public places like cafes or airports. Try to avoid public Wifi as much as possible and ensure that your company’s Wifi has strong encryption.
What makes a password safe?

If you want to keep your business passwords safe from the threats listed above, make sure they meet the following criteria:

●    Length and complexity. Short passwords are pretty easy to crack, despite how complicated they may seem. If you want your password to be safe from hackers, make sure they’re at least 12 characters long. A secure password must also have lots of different characters. Use numbers, symbols, lowercase and uppercase letters. The strongest passwords are the ones that look gibberish without any obvious words or phrases.

●    Variety. One of the most important things regarding password safety is to never reuse them. This is a very common mistake that both individuals and businesses keep making because of how convenient it is. However, if one of your business accounts gets hacked, all other ones that use the same password will get hacked, too. Seems like a high price to pay just for the convenience of reusing passwords, huh?

●    Confidentiality. Limit the number of people with access to your business passwords as much as possible, and don’t assume that you can trust all members of the company. This will decrease the risk of employees accidentally or deliberately leaking your passwords to outsiders.

●    Encryption. If you enter your passwords while on unencrypted Wifi, it’s quite easy to hack your connection and see all of your sensitive data. So ensure that the Wifi at your office is strongly encrypted and avoid unknown Wifi networks. Also, if you ever decide to write down your passwords on any of your devices, keep them in an encrypted space, like a business password manager.

Conclusion

Only a small percentage of businesses can say that their passwords are safe. Hackers know this, which is why they’re not stopping their attacks anytime soon. Make sure that your business isn’t just another statistic in cyber crimes, and start following the easy tips mentioned above. They’re more than worth the added security and calmness you’ll feel after you know your business is safe.

This article is brought to you by Emily Matthews.

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