Managing Passwords

As workspaces steadily move into virtual space, and cloud computing becomes a standard practice, passwords become a necessity. With data and information stored in virtual space, access is regulated with the assistance of passwords.

Why passwords?

Passwords are a necessary component for ensuring security for your data and online information. Regardless of work environment, whether employees work remotely or onsite at a corporate office, passwords assist with data protection.

Passwords are a first defense against unauthorized access of data. For this reason, passwords must be strong enough to guard against online hackers, as well. Because volumes of information are now stored online, you need multiple passwords to safeguard different bundles of information. Thus, a different set of passwords may exist for your bank accounts, your system logins and other administrative processes.

Following are some tips for creating passwords:

• Maintain a single password for every application

The sheer number of passwords you need to utilize can make it tricky to remember them all. This may tempt you to maintain a single password for all your needs, which ultimately defeats the purpose of a password. If hackers manage to crack the code, then all of your information is at their fingertips.

• Change your passwords frequently

Some websites, such as banking sites, will force you to change your password periodically. In general, it is a good idea to keep changing them even when you are not prompted to do so. To minimize confusion, some websites and applications also allow a single character change to qualify as a changed password. You can also incorporate changes such as capital letters to make the password stronger.

Here are some tips for managing multiple passwords:

• Choose relatively anonymous passwords

Do not choose names of family members, pets, street, locality, city, etc. Similarly, numbers representing birthdays, anniversaries of family members, the day a pet came home, apartment number or phone number, etc. are all very easy to access and should never be used as passwords.

Instead, choose a combination of this data. The sheer number of combinations should help maintain password security. Hacking is a systematic process. Hackers now have access to specialized software, which when coupled with information can provide strong clues to your passwords. But a judicious mix of numbers and alphabets, mixed in with special characters if allowed, can help your password remain strong. Additionally, most websites that require a password will help you in selecting a strong password.

• Take time to choose or make a password

Do not rush into creating a password. You will simply forget it later and risk getting locked out of vital accounts. If you record your passwords, make certain that it is not apparent to someone glancing at whatever you have written.

• Prepare a backup file for passwords

This can be tricky. If you have too many passwords, it makes sense to record them with the name of the applications to which they provide access. Save this information in a secure place. If the record is made on a computer system make sure it is not created on a shared system.

One suggestion is to record all your passwords on a document and then password-protect it. This way, you only have to remember a single password – the one providing access to that document. However, remember to never leave that document open to view on an unattended computer system.

Assess the strength of your passwords against these suggestions, and revisit making periodic changes to them to ensure security of your personal information.

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