Passwords, Passwords, Passwords…
October 12, 2016
When safeguarding your data on the cyber scene from potential hackers; protecting, updating and maintaining secure passwords is one of the easiest and non-costliest things you can do. Our office recently experienced a hack of our telephone service through our voice messaging system. The result was international hackers taking over our phone lines and racking up over $1500 in long distance calls. Not only was the occurrence a costly lesson (yes, we’re responsible for the charges), but a nuisance in going through the remediation process with our telephone service provider as well as adding an additional layer of security to our telephone system. Needless to say, our staff is required to use unique passwords that cannot be easily “guessed” since that is one cause of security weakness.
Here are a few general security measures specific to password protection.
General Security
- Make sure passwords are at least eight characters long and contain both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as special characters.
- Consider using a phrase to help create your password. For example, “Jack and Jill went up the hill,” becomes “J_Jwuth.”
- NEVER use the “Remember Password” software feature offered by various applications.
- Never use personal information when creating passwords.
- Remember, the longer and more complicated the password, the less likely it is to be broken.
- Don’t use the same password across all platforms.
Click here for more tips on Minimizing Cyber Exposures.
At the Armstrong Company Insurance Consultants we strive to educate our clients through risk assessment and mitigation methods including; disaster preparedness, proper insurance coverage, and loss remediation. Contact us today! We are always here to be of service to you!
Click for more information on Cyber Breach Preparedness and check back often as this is a growing resource.