Now that Cybersecurity Awareness Month is underway, let’s talk P@ssWord$.
We all have our reliable favorite, the perfect combination of letters, numbers, and symbols that we use for at least a few of our online accounts. We all groan when it’s time to change a password right after we finally started remembering the current one. We all know the best practices for secure passwords look a lot like our cat walked across the keyboard. Yet, it’s way easier to remember a couple solid passwords instead of cataloging dozens (or hundreds!) of unique character strings, isn’t it?
But let’s compare a password to a house key: we change the locks when someone takes the key that we carefully concealed under a slightly off-color rock, and we probably find a new spot for the spare. Obviously, we don’t want strangers (or unpleasant acquaintances) gaining access to our home.
So, what’s stopping us from having better password habits, especially when so much of our personal information and confidential company data is maintained in some form online?
According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s (NCA) 2024 annual report on cybersecurity attitudes and behaviors, only 53% of the over 7,000 individuals surveyed believe that it’s possible to stay safe online, a 5% decline from 2023. While this perspective may impact our willingness to come up with stronger and more secure passwords on our own, the bevy of password managers and complex password suggestions available makes the process much more achievable.
The NCA’s report also found that 40% of surveyed people create passwords using a single dictionary word or someone’s name, often with a few letters changed to symbols, which is a concerning 10% increase over 2023. While it could take a few tries to crack ILoveD@isyD0g, you’re still much safer using a unique assortment of characters and symbols for each individual password, with a password manager securely keeping track of your logins.
Password managers can help you generate new long and complex passwords while also safely storing all your account logins, so that you only have to keep track of one (really good) password. Even better, these managers work across devices and some password vault software continuously scans the dark web to determine if any of your passwords have been compromised.
If you’re ready to better secure your online accounts, Blip Tech recommends checking out password manager sites like KeePass (free) or NordPass (subscription with extra features). You can also find more information about passwords and password managers on NCA’s website.
For businesses needing a boost in their IT network security, contact us at support@bliphelps.com to find out more about our Managed Service offerings.
