“Many people look forward to the New Year for a
new start on old habits.”
- Author Unknown
In the 1987 classic movie Spaceballs, when Lord Dark Helmet discovers King Roland's insecure password he screams, “The combination is 12345! That's the stupidest combination I've ever heard in my life!” Fast forward 25 plus years... According to Splash Data, a password management application, “123456” was the leader in stolen passwords posted online in 2013.
February 1st is National Change Your Password Day. Why not roll up your sleeves and kick the old habit and improve your online privacy?
When was the last time you changed your passwords? Even if you are diligent about creating strong and unique passwords at the websites you visit, the fact is the risk of being compromised remains. Major attacks were frequent in 2014; and 2015 will likely be no better.
The tools hackers use to crack passwords are becoming more sophisticated and powerful. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to building stronger passwords.
- Use at least ten characters long (12 is better).
- Do not include your user name, real name, or company name.
- Do not use a complete word.
- Create passwords significantly different from previous passwords.
- Contains characters from each of the following four categories:
1) UPPER CASE 3) Numbers
2) lower case 4) Symbols ~!@#$%^&*
Of course, we are in full favor of routinely changing your passwords. Do not maintain the same passwords for a long period of time. Best practice is to keep your PC up-to-date with the latest security patches, security fixes and antivirus software while connected to the Internet.
Take some action today and kick the old habit… celebrate National Change Your Password Day!
As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to let IT Radix know. We’re here to help!
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