New online software developments are popping up all the time. But before you, like us, get too excited about exploring each one’s features, we should consider your online safety. What are your password security practices?
Passwords are easy to take for granted. Most put minimal effort into creating passwords, likely forgetting them within the next week. But there are very real security concerns, threatening businesses and lives.
As software developers, we at BizSoft recommend you keep these ten practices when creating new passwords. Skip to the end to see why we also recommend LastPass as the best password manager for your business and family.
10 Top Notch Password Security Practices
- Keep passwords secret: How many friends know your laptop code or wifi password? How many employees know your business’s system lock? Could they guess your password easily because it relates so strongly to your life? The more secret the password, the better.
- New account means a new password: Never use the same password across multiple accounts or devices.
- Multi-factor authentication guarantees an extra layer of protection: This security feature is incorporated in many apps and software. Multi-factor authentication requires you to use your phone or email to receive additional codes to log in.
- Use long passwords: Over 16 characters long is the best-recommended length for secure passwords. Rather use phrases instead of single words.
- Hard to guess but easy to remember: Speaking of phrases, 2-4 small words strung together make for a great password. Plus, hackers usually try dictionary words. But if your password is longer then it is harder to decipher.
- Easy can still be complex: Passwords with incorporated numbers, capitalisation, symbols, or spaces have an added complexity. To keep the passwords easy to remember, attach these additional characters naturally. We might create the phrase Fans Spin Me Round. Now our example has 18 characters, capitalisation, and spaces. If a program doesn’t allow spaces, a simple symbol between each word will do.
- Avoid bunching symbols and numbers: Hackers have long lists of commonly used passcodes which anyone may attach to the end of their passwords.
- Test your password: You don’t need to play any guessing game about your password’s strength. There are plenty of free password checkers. We recommend Kaspersky’s free check right here (https://password.kaspersky.com/).
- Change passwords on a schedule, or whenever an employee leaves: In business especially, passwords tend to pass to different hands as needed. To minimize the risk of them leaking outside the company, it is important to change passwords regularly.
- Use a Password Manager: Password managers, like LastPass (https://www.lastpass.com/), not only store your passwords, but they also provide many additional features to monitor your online safety. When you do need to share passwords, they ensure you do so securely.
What to Expect from LastPass as a Password Manager
We at BizSoft love to share software servicers we know will benefit everyone. LastPass is a password manager we recommend as the best, affordable way to maintain your password security.
Using their browser extension, LastPass provides a free service perfect for individual use. Their premium features, however, will accommodate businesses and families interested in effortlessly maintaining healthy password security.
Here are some of LastPass’s greatest features:
- Free service:
- Secure password vault
- Access on all devices
- One-to-one sharing
- Save and fill passwords
- Password generator
- Secure notes
- Security Challenge
- Multifactor authentication
- LastPass Authenticator
- Premium service:
- One-to-many sharing
- Emergency access
- Advanced multi-factor options
- Priority tech support
- LastPass for Applications
- 1 GB encrypted file storage
We hope you found this post informative and enjoy living secure online. We enjoy finding software solutions for your unique needs. Contact us today and start a conversation about your company’s future.
