ETIP #99

Perfect Passwords are the First Step to Data Security

Perfect Passwords are the First Step to Data Security

About a year ago LinkedIn asked everyone to change their passwords due to a data breach at a completely separate site. How are these related? LinkedIn knows people use the same password for multiple accounts to make it easier to remember. Therefore, a breech at one site leaves other sites vulnerable.

While using a different password for every site sounds like a nightmare, there are some things to ease the pain. Password Manager is an app that serves as a “Master key.” Give it one password that you don’t use anywhere else. Once it’s entered, the “keychain” becomes available to all sites. You remember one password while the apps manages the rest. There are pros and cons of course (does it sync with your mobile device?), but it’s a start.

If adding technology is not your idea of fun, try pattern recognition instead. Use one password that you will remember and alter it in some constant way. If your favorite password is “superman,” and you want to setup your password for Facebook, you could append the number of characters in the word “Facebook” (eight) to the end, making it “superman8” or append the first or last letter of Facebook (F or k) “Fsuperman” or “supermank.” Perhaps a combination of both: “Fsuperman8.” With a simple pattern, you can have a unique password for virtually every site. Don’t use this example verbatim; these are only thought starters to set you upon the road to security.

Tools That May Help: