Are you one of those people who use the same password for everything? If so, you’re putting yourself at risk for identity theft.
Today, every stakeholder is accountable for an organization’s cybersecurity. Teams must ensure they are safe because cybercrime and security concerns are so common.
Password protection is one of these components. Password management may assist people and organizations in preparing for the worst and providing security.
In this blog, we have outlined the basics of password management and shared some best practices that you can implement for better password management.
What is Password Management?
Passwords are the first line of defense in protecting your data from unauthorized access and use.
These are a collection of characters that users enter in response to web account login prompts. The more difficult it is for someone else to guess your password, the better protected your account will be
Even though passwords are still among the safest authentication mechanisms currently in use, they can pose various security risks if managed improperly.
That’s where password management plays a valuable function. Password management includes understanding best practices that users should adhere to while storing and handling passwords effectively in order to keep them as safe as possible and prevent unwanted access.
Common Mistakes in Creating Passwords
What are the mistakes people make when creating passwords? We have highlighted the most common mistakes made when creating a password, significantly reducing their effectiveness.
- Making use of the same password across several accounts.
It is often exhausting to have to establish an account on every website that appears to exist. It’s far too simple to reuse passwords by just changing a letter or two, but this is a dangerous habit that might cost you more than you think.
Because password recycling is so typical, once hackers acquire one of your passwords, they’ll quickly attempt multiple variations of it.
If you reuse passwords, you risk becoming one of the unfortunate few whose data credentials fall into the hands of thieves, making you a much easier target.
- Using a common password.
‘12345’, ‘123456’, ‘123456789’, ‘12345’, ‘qwerty’, and ‘password’ are the most used passphrases for passwords.
They are simple to write down but also simple to decipher. Avoid using these widely used passwords on your accounts.
- Using personal details to help remember passwords
Individuals employ various techniques to remember their passwords. Users frequently include personal information as a “catch-all” password, such as birthdays, addresses, and even phone numbers.
Including this sensitive information in your password gives hackers access to new sources of vulnerability.
- Keeping overly simple passwords
It’s much easier to crack a simple password than a longer, more complex one.
Recommended Reading: Good Strong Password Ideas For Greater Protection – Check out this guide if you want to make strong passwords, and don’t want to be hacked. There are some great tips how you can make your passwords strong for greater protection.
Avoid Online Scam – Many scammers are looking up for one loop hole to make your data hacked and they sell your data on different black websites. This guide tell you some great tips and resources how you can avoid online scam in 2023.
Critical Challenges in Password Management
Passwords are a fundamental element of the security infrastructure of our digital lives. They are used to protect our data and devices, but they are also vulnerable to attacks
. On the one hand, the number of web services people utilize is rising year over year; on the other hand, cyber crimes are expanding exponentially.
Here are some typical threats to our password security:
- Login spoofing – cybercriminals unlawfully acquire passwords by using a fake login page.
- Sniffing attack – key loggers and unauthorized network access are used to steal passwords.
- Shoulder surfing attack – password theft as people enter them, often using a tiny camera to access user information.
- Brute force attack – using automated tools to steal passwords and obtain access to user information
- Data breach – taking login information and other private information straight from the website database.
10 Best Password Management Practices
With the rise in cybercrimes, how can you ensure that your personal information and accounts are safe?
You need to make sure you take the time to incorporate these password management practices to help you avoid being a victim of cybercrimes.
- Create A Strong Password
The first and perhaps most apparent password management best practice is to ensure you create a strong password in the first place.
Hackers find it far more difficult to crack and access systems when individuals are using strong passwords.
Strong passwords are those with more than eight characters and include a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, digits, and symbols.
Check the strength of your password with an online testing tool. Using Microsoft’s password strength testing tool, you may generate passwords that are less likely to be cracked.
Here are 3 tools that can help you check the strength of your passwords:
- LastPass
LastPass is a free password manager that allows you to create and store passwords online.
The online service uses two-factor authentication and works with most browsers and mobile devices. When you create a password, LastPass stores it locally in the browser or on your mobile device (if the app is installed), but keeps a copy in its encrypted vault as well. - Password Meter
This free tool analyzes any password and indicates whether or not it is “weak”. It also provides tips on how to make it stronger. - Password Generator
The site lets you create random passwords with letters, numbers and special characters; each one is unique and difficult for someone else to guess or crack. There’s also an option to generate truly random passwords with this tool if you don’t want any repeats of characters or words in them
2. Avoid Dictionary Words
Hackers using advanced software may scan thousands of dictionary phrases in several languages.
Avoid dictionary words to lessen the likelihood that your company may fall prey to dictionary attack software.
3. Use Different Passwords for Every Account
Once one account is breached, every other account with the same user credentials is automatically compromised.
Therefore, you must keep separate passwords for different accounts so that if you do get hacked, hackers don’t automatically gain access to all your accounts.
- Utilize Password Encryption
Passwords can be further protected by encryption.
Password encryption is a feature that allows you to secure your passwords by encrypting them before they are saved to the database. This means that when you log in, your password is not stored as plaintext (unencrypted).
A benefit of this is that if someone were to get access to your database, they would not be able to see your passwords. Another benefit is that it prevents password sniffing attacks. This type of attack occurs when someone uses a tool called a packet sniffer on your network connection and tries to capture data packets as they go by. By capturing these packets, an attacker can use them to attempt to determine what your password is.
The best course of action is to think about non-reversible end-to-end encryption.
- Add Advanced Authentication Methods
The accepted practice for controlling access to corporate resources is two-factor authentication. Users must verify their identity in addition to providing standard credentials like their username and password by receiving a one-time code on their mobile device or by inserting a unique USB token.
The theory behind two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication is that it prevents an attacker from gaining access by simply guessing or cracking the password.
You can also utilize cutting-edge, non-password approaches. Users can apply biometric verification, for example, as part of multi-factor authentication.
You can use Touch ID on an iPhone to log in or Windows Hello face recognition on a Windows 11 PC to authenticate just by looking at it.
- Protect Your Cell Phone
Mobile phones are widely used for shopping, business, and other activities, but they pose several security risks.
By safeguarding your phone with a strong password, a fingerprint, or face recognition software, you can prevent others from accessing it and other mobile devices.
- Change Passwords When an Employee Leaves
Sadly, it frequently happens that dissatisfied former workers become your company’s worst adversary.
Make changing passwords once someone quits a regular procedure to prevent former employees from breaking into your company’s accounts and causing mayhem.
- Special Protection of Privileged Users
Passwords for privileged user accounts require additional safeguards, such as those provided by privileged access control software.
In contrast to personal passwords, privileged credentials should be changed on a frequent basis, even after each use for extremely sensitive credentials.
These credentials should be inserted for further protection and never directly accessible or known to the end user.
- Be Vigilant About Safety
Your password may be secure and you may be conscientious about your security, but your passwords will be compromised if a hacker’s spy software monitors what you type on your keyboard.
Make it difficult for fraudsters to obtain your credentials by utilizing current anti-malware and password management programs and vulnerability management solutions, which enable you to protect your systems and avoid weaknesses that allow attackers to enter or move around your environment.
- Use Password Management Programs
You only need to remember one password when using a password manager since the password manager remembers and even generates passwords for your many accounts, instantly signing you in when you log on.
Consider a password management program a book of your passwords, with a master key that only you know.
You may think it sounds dangerous since if someone obtains the master password, they will have access to ALL of your passwords.
However, if you’ve picked a strong and unique but easy-to-remember master password—you’ve created a nearly ideal mechanism to safeguard the remainder of your passwords from unauthorized access.
Password management programs frequently include browser extensions that automatically fill in your password.
And, because many password managers include encrypted cross-device syncing, you can carry your passwords everywhere you go – even on your phone.
Password management programs are meant to provide you access to all of your passwords in an encrypted manner that hackers and harmful malware cannot read.
They may provide tremendous convenience while offering excellent security and ensuring that your information remains private.
The two types of password management programs:
In general, there are two types of password management programs:
• Personal Password Managers: These are programs that manage passwords for individual users/employees in order to gain access to numerous apps and services.
• Privileged Password Managers: These specialist corporate solutions protect and manage privileged credentials using a centralized, company-wide password safe.
Privileged credentials are the most sensitive secrets of the business, enabling privileged access to user accounts, applications, and systems.
These are typically combined with privileged session management and constitute the foundation of an enterprise privileged account management platform.
How to Manage Password in Chrome?
A convenient password manager is already included in Google Chrome. When prompted to sign in, your browser may store and automatically fill in your passwords for several websites.
Certain things you need to remember when choosing and learning how to manage password in Chrome:
- Ensure you have enabled password saving
- When you export your passwords (which is an option chrome provides), the passwords are exported into a CVS file that is not encrypted
- It is just as easy to remove saved passwords as it is to save them
- Passwords saved are available across all your devices
Another thing you may want to understand is how to change password that have been saved in chrome.
Changing a saved password can be very simple. You simply need to open up your settings in your profile, go to the ‘view and manage saved password’ section.
Then it’s as simple as selecting the website you want to change your password for, clicking edit, and changing it.
Password Management with Jumpstart Security
Small companies may quickly develop a cyber security plan thanks to Jumpstart Security.
By emphasizing the three critical areas of people, procedures, and technology, our core platform provides you with all the tools you need to safeguard your company.
Your first and final line of defense against cyber risks is your team. The Security Academy makes it simple to involve, educate, and safeguard your personnel against the most prevalent kinds of cyber threats to your company.
With an ever-expanding library of information, you can ensure your workforce is constantly up to speed on the dangers they might expect in the workplace.
Technology is essential for execution. With the help of the cyber security program, you can evaluate your company’s present cyber security status and find potential problems. You can quickly and efficiently solve these concerns and improve the security of your company with the help of our simple-to-implement guidelines.
You also need set policies for handling the many facets of cyber security. You can simply design your company’s cyber security procedures and policies using the Document Center. Every new policy you develop will be delivered to your staff using the built-in policy announcement feature.
Jumpstart security gives you the tools to ensure that your team takes the time to implement password management and thus save themselves and your organization against possible cybercrimes.
Final Thoughts
Today, most firms’ IT policies include password management as a key component. For both home and business users, password management systems provide strong cybersecurity.
Make sure your team is ready by signing up with Jumpstart Security today!