7 Password Security Tips Everyone Should Know

Setting a new password is a daunting task as most people only consider two options:
 
 1. Set an obvious and easy password that anyone can guess, or
 
 2. Set a complicated password which they’ll struggle to remember

Both of these options are not ideal especially given the risk of a data breach threat. That’s why you need to find reliable password security tips. The idea is to learn how to set strong and easy-to-remember passwords.

When you consult your friends, they’ll give you many contradicting password tips making it hard to know the ones to follow. You fear following the wrong advice and setting a weak password.

To help you out, here are seven password security tips everyone should know.

7 Password Security Tips Everyone Should Know

1. Use Longer Passwords

The common myth is that to make strong passwords, you must add weird characters. The problem is that many people make short passwords that are easy to generate using various tools. So, to curb this risk, you need to start using longer passwords which are hard to generate.

However, understand that long dictionary words are not strong passwords as they’re easy to crack. The smart approach is to move away from passwords and start using passphrases. The idea is to combine two or more words and use them as your passphrase.

So, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to enhance data security, teach your employees how to use passphrases. Give them practical examples to guide them on how to generate strong passphrases.

2. Avoid Using the Same Password on Multiple Accounts or Devices

One of the worst mistakes many people make is using the same password for different devices and online accounts. These people argue that it’s impossible to remember different passwords, and that’s why they use one. What these people don’t know is that they’re compromising their data security by using one password.

If you’re one of these individuals, you should consider setting a different password for all your accounts. Yes, it’s a tedious process, but it’ll help protect your data. The great thing is that you don’t need to use complex and hard-to-remember passwords as you can use passphrases.

3. Invest in the Best Password Manager

Managing multiple passwords for all your accounts is a hectic task as you’ll struggle to remember all of them. Besides, it’s a mistake to write down all these passwords as you’ll be compromising data security. So, you need to find a secure and easy way to manage all your passwords.

That’s why you should consider investing in the best password manager. So, find reliable resources like setapp.com that’ll help you compare different password managers. You want to understand how these tools work to decide the best one to get.

In addition, you’re seeking details on the costs of using different password managers. You want to find a fairly priced password manager with amazing features.

4. Reduce the Number of Times You Change Your Password

To enhance data security, some people change their security passwords after a short period. They assume doing this makes it hard for hackers to crack their passwords. Although this sounds logical, it’s completely wrong! This is because changing passwords frequently only magnifies the data breach threat.

You’re likely to set a weak password if you keep on changing it frequently. Besides, why change something if it’s working? So, if you are an IT admin, you need to advise the employees against frequently changing their accounts’ passwords.

5. Disable Password Hints

Enabling passwords hints seems like a great idea as it makes it easy to remember the password. However, doing this also compromises the strength of your passwords. The reason is that the hints reveal information about your personality.
 
 So, it’s easy for other people to guess your passwords when you have a hint. Besides, the hint can direct these people to know your password retrieval information. So, even if they don’t guess the password, they can change it and access your accounts.

To enhance your accounts’ security, you should disable your password hints. In addition, don’t use obvious things as answers for passwords recovery questions. Instead, use creative passwords that are easy for you to remember.

6. Learn How Multifactor Authentication Works

Most people spend hours researching how to create a secure password assuming that this will be enough. However, although this helps, it’s wise to add a layer of protection. The idea is to add another way of authenticating your identity when accessing various accounts.

That’s why you should seek more information about multifactor authentication. You want to find out how it works and how it adds a layer of security. Also, you need to know the ease of using multifactor authentication for securing business data.

7. Learn How to Send Passwords Securely

Maybe you want someone else to access your device or accounts, so you need to send your passwords to this person. Most people in this scenario will use common messaging tools to send the passwords. The problem is that most of these tools are not secure and exposes your passwords to unauthorized persons.

To mitigate this threat, you need to learn how to send passwords securely. The idea is to find secure messaging tools that’ll encrypt your passwords when sending them. You want to ensure only the intended person will access your passwords.

Enhance Data Security by Relying on Practical Password Security Tips

To mitigate the data breach threat, you need to invest in having strong passwords for your accounts and devices. That’s why you should carefully check the above password security tips. The idea is to learn the dos and don’ts when setting passwords for your different accounts.
 
 Also, if you run a business, you need to educate your employees on how to create a secure password. You want them to start using passphrases that are more secure than passwords. Also, you’ll advise them against changing the passwords frequently as this compromises security.

Please see our other blogs for more technology tips.