The Password Dilemma Continues…
Here are few steps to move forward!
Every year, the most commonly used passwords are written about. Well, 2016’s list just came out!
“The world’s most common passwords revealed: Are you using them?”
For anyone remotely concerned about security of their online world, the state of password management borders on unbelievable.
Observations the article makes include:
“Despite years of being told we should have strong and unique passwords, people are still using predictable patterns to secure access to their online lives.”
“Anyone using one of these guessable strings of letters and numbers would be wise to change them immediately if they want to keep their information safe.”
“Predictably, the most popular passwords include variations of “123456” and “qwerty”, as well as “password” and “google”.”
What Can You Do RIGHT NOW?
There are a two steps you can take today to start fixing this issue — it’s NOT HARD, but it take discipline and willingness to change!
- Implement password management tools — make it so you don’t have to remember passwords. Passwords should be securely
- Use multi-factor authentication on any site that contains sensitive information (email, cloud storage, financial accounts, etc.). An overview of multi-factor authentication is here.
Do This — Today
The goal of of a password management process is to have access to your passwords whenever and where ever you need them — thus eliminating the need to remember anything.
Since virtually all of us have a mobile phone, this task is relatively simple.
Here are three steps to take as soon as possible.
iPhone / iPad User? Activate The Built-In iOS KeyChain Service
“iCloud Keychain is part of iCloud an allows you to save passwords, credit card numbers, and forms for easier auto-fill later. It can even help you generate new passwords for new logins when you need help creating a stronger password.”
Implement a Password “Safe” to Store All Your Passwords (You Only Remember ONE!)
“Password manager software is used by individuals to organize and encrypt many personal passwords using a single login. This often involves the use of an encryption key as well. Password managers are also referred to as password wallets.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_management
There are literally hundreds of password management tools — but to make it as simple as possible, I am only going to mention one.
LastPass — it’s free to get started.
Use a Desktop Password Management Service
For an individual user, the use of LastPass will likely make this step unnecessary, but if not — do it.
I use Meldium — it’s free for up to five users (and worth going premium if you are an organization). Consider It.
Make 2017 your year to resolve the password management pain that is so common! Good luck!
About Don
“On a mission to challenge the status quo to a more productive and effective end…”
Don is passionate about helping professionals and organizations keep up and adapt to the changing business world that we operate in.
“What Do You Do?”
I frequently get this question. My response? Check it out here!
