West County Net has covered the best practices for passwords on our blog before, but it’s such an important topic we thought we’d help spread the word on World Password Day.

password-security

What is World Password Day?

Well, it’s both an organization committed to spreading awareness about password security and a day dedicated to the same cause.

There are online services for almost every aspect of life (social, financial, recreational, medical, etc., etc., etc.). More and more, accessing personal information via a website or app isn’t just becoming commonplace; it’s becoming a part of our culture. And, as more people adopt online services that house valuable information, breaking into those services is only further incentivized for seedy individuals.

World Password Day reminds us that the personal (and highly valuable) information that we access online is only as secure as the passwords we choose.

Your Passwords

The passwords you choose don’t have to look like this: A@#$ja938Hn2lMllIJ^304iwUU9300588209#. But they also can’t look like this: smith123.

There are some common complaints about passwords, including:

  • They’re too difficult to remember if they’re not simple
  • It’s too difficult to remember passwords for everything
  • It’s annoying to have to constantly reset forgotten passwords

The World Password Day website breaks down in 4 easy-to-understand steps how to create strong, easily remembered, and unique passwords for each of your accounts. It also shows you how you can use a password manager to help juggle all your different passwords. Finally, World Password Day sings the praises of multi-factor authentication (fingerprint scanning, code verification, and the like). Multi-factor authentication is the final line of defense if your password is ever compromised.

Get Serious about Security in 2016!

Passwords are stolen, hacked, and leaked all the time—millions and millions of passwords every year. With a little bit of effort, you can both learn how to be as secure as possible and implement the practices to achieve that goal.

Stay safe out there.