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  • Forgot your password? We’ve all been there!

    By Vincent Naughton on August 28, 2018

    As an information security provider we believe in protecting a business every day, as it is ‘safer internet day’ today, here is a light insight about passwords and how you can take a few steps to keep yourself and your business secure. Believe it or not- It takes a hacker almost an hour to crack...

    • Forgot your password? We’ve all been there!

      As an information security provider we believe in protecting a business every day, as it is ‘safer internet day’ today, here is a light insight about passwords and how you can take a few steps to keep yourself and your business secure.

      Believe it or not- It takes a hacker almost an hour to crack your password.

      Back in 2013, Google released a list of the most common passwords people use till date. The problem is the passwords that people create are so easy to crack because everyone almost shares everything on social media today. The truth is the easiest password to use is the easiest password to remember:

      • The name of a pet, child, family member, or significant other
      • Anniversary dates and birthdays
      • Birthplace
      • Name of a favourite holiday
      • Something related to a favourite sports team
      • The word “password”

      Did you know that an average person has around 27 credentials? This shows how many passwords are scattered around the place, there are a good few users that still write down their credentials on a piece of paper or even store it in their inbox just so they can go back to the sheet or doc when they don’t remember. Unfortunately, this is even more risky since it gives hackers a trail to exploit.

      Here are a few tips you can look at before you create a new password:

      • Our first advice is type in your e-mail address on to this site to see if your account had been compromised at any stage of existence: haveibeenpwned.com Now if you do see yourself compromised you might need to follow the next steps immediately:
      • From a cybersecurity point of view both for a business and as an individual, it is healthy to have a different password in multiple sites.

      Yes, it can be a hassle to remember all of them so here’s what you do;

      • Use a reputable password safe that is encrypted using the most secure encryption algorithms like keepass to store all your passwords.
      • It is recommended that you need to change your password every 90 days to avoid being compromised in any way.
      • Configure all systems by sending each user a reminder to change their password
      • It’s important to add an extra layer of security to your infrastructure. It’s called a two-factor authentication that consists of your password and then an auto-generated pin code is sent to your device, this increases protection and unauthorized access.
      • A hacker can guess what your password is randomly or they can also use a program to hack into your system through a phishing e-mail. What is phishing? It is when someone disguises themselves as a trusted party to receive your details.

      We conduct phishing exercises for many businesses and also report on the status of opens and clicks on links that might have exploited your systems. This gives staff training and best practices on what to do if they are a target. Contact us to know more. We’re not saying, you will not be hacked after taking these steps, some say that it’s a pain for an end-user to keep changing passwords every 90 days but what is important is that you have taken that one step to prevent yourself from being compromised in the future.

      Ward Solutions is Ireland’s leading information security provider. Contact us or call 1800 903 552 to discover our range of information security solutions and discuss your unique requirements.

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