Everyday thousands of people log into bank accounts, credits cards and social media accounts using weak passwords such as “123456” and “password.” These passwords are ranked the first and second worst passwords to use for 2015. These passwords are still being used even though password security is a growing concern. There is a reason to be concerned because your information can be easily stolen and used against you to steal cash, open credit cards in your name, make online purchases and even pose as you on your social media account.
It used to be that simple passwords with numbers like birthdays and words such as your mother’s maiden name were good enough passwords to use. But do you want a password that is “good” enough protecting your personal information including banking, social security numbers or your social media accounts. These password areas have the potential to wreak havoc on your life if not securely protected.
How Do You Securely Protect Your Password?
The answer is not as simple as how to protect one password but rather a shift to using more than 1 password. Having one password for everything is like having one key that unlocks your house, your car, and your office. If you lost that one key you are at serious risk of theft, so why would you do the same with your password?
To keep your personal information safe, it is recommended to have a separate password for each online entry including:
- Bank Information
- Credit Cards
- Email accounts
- Social Media
- Any account that holds personal information such as your social security number
This list is long, but it is better to be safe than sorry if your information is stolen. You don’t necessarily need a new password for every account online, just ones that contain personal information. You can use the same password for accounts such as retail store apps that hold your wish lists, cooking websites, fantasy football, accounts that hold no personal information.
That’s Too Many Passwords
Having different passwords for different accounts in your life can quickly add up. You may think it is daunting and unnecessary to have this many, but if you want to keep your personal information secure then the best option is to have multiple different passwords. This makes it harder for criminals gain access to all accounts at once.
Many people use the same password for accounts that have varying degrees of security requirements. For example, you may use the same password for a weak security requirement such as your Fantasy football league but that same password is also being used as your strong security requirement for your banking information. If a criminal hacks a weaker security site, then they now have access to stronger security sites because you used the same password for all.
Remember that each password should be unique and contain a mixture of numbers, upper and lower case letters as well as symbols.
It is completely fine to use the same password for accounts that do not contain personal information. Your accounts for retail store apps that hold your wish lists, cooking websites, fantasy football, accounts that hold no personal information.
How Do I Remember all Those Passwords?
Password remembrance does not have to be hard. If you are actively using the password, then it will only take a few times logging in for you to remember the password. You can also use mnemonic devices to help remember your password; these passwords are strong and hard to hack. An example of a mnemonic device can be something like, “I love to drive my 2014 Chevy Camaro. The password therefore would be “iL2dm2014Cc!” which uses a mix of numbers, symbols as well as upper and lower case letters.
Another way to help remember passwords is by using a password manager. Password managers can store all your passwords securely, allowing you to store very strong and uncrackable passwords that will protect your information. Some of these password managers even help you generate a random password for new online accounts.
Keep in mind that passwords are easily hacked, per BusinessWeek a 6-character password (just letters) can be cracked in just 10 minutes while a 9-character password complete with letters, uppercase, numbers and symbols will take 44,530 years to crack. Which password do you want protecting your information?
Start protecting your information today with the help of Record Nations and our security solutions
Your data and information needs to be securely protected and Record Nations offers secure documents management solutions to fit you or your business’s needs. Record Nations offers document scanning, records storage, cloud storage as well as document management systems.
We have a vast network of expert providers across the United States and we can help you get started today on any size project. Either fill out the form on the right or give us a call at (866) 385-3706. We will be in contact shortly to provide you with free quotes on any of the services you may be interested in.
