How to Build Good Passwords

All of us have credentials which we use every day. We log into our network in the morning, then into credentials management, payroll, accounting, encrypted email. Then we might log into supplier portals, Salesforce, or our ERP system. We log in so automatically that we tend to forget what those credentials are protecting. 

Access credentials are a critically important piece of information infrastructure, and in many cases they are one of the ONLY things which separate our critical data from the Internet (and unwanted access by third parties). How do you build a good password?

• Use strong (8 or more characters), complex (upper case, lower case, numbers, special characters) passphrases…do this by converting a short phrase such as “I love to rock climb” into the complex passphrase “IL0V32r0ckclImb!!”

• Change passwords periodically

• Avoid using your name, birth dates, or other fixed information which would be found in social media as passwords

• Avoid physically notating credentials unless the list can be kept in a safe, a secure password keeper or an encrypted file

• Avoid using the same passwords for business services as are used for social media or any public services

• Always use multifactor authentication or one-time passwords when they are available

• For business critical services (banking, payroll, accounting, etc.) use IP address whitelisting if available

Remember just how critical these credentials are!

Don’t ever forget just what your credentials are protecting, and what a headache it would be for critical data access to become compromised. For assistance with securing your business IT environment, contact us at 405-348-1192..