Passwords are an essential part of modern life. They are required to access online banking and social media accounts and even complete purchases on online shopping sites. Whether it’s for your most used accounts (or less important ones!), passwords play a key role in keeping your information secure.
Managing your computer passwords effectively and changing them regularly is key to staying safe online. Try to use unique, strong, difficult-to-guess passwords for each account and remember to enable two-factor authentication for extra protection.
Of course, you know that you should never have one password for everything, so you have lots of different passwords. However, remembering them all can be a challenge, which means you have to find a way to manage all these passwords securely. Let’s delve into how you can do this.
Why password management is important
A weak password puts your data at risk, leaving you exposed to cybercrime. And, once they steal your credentials, cybercriminals can launch further attacks, such as using your banking information to make unauthorised purchases, running phishing scams or, in the worst case, even draining your account.
They can also install spyware and ransomware, locking down your data to demand payments to restore your access.
Cyber attacks are on the rise, and according to government data:
- 50% of businesses have experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. This figure is much higher for high-income charities and medium and large businesses.
- Phishing (fraudulent messages that appear to come from a legitimate source) remains the most common type of attack.
With data breaches and identity theft cases becoming more and more prevalent, it is vitally important that you ensure your password security is as good as possible – and that means managing your passwords properly.
Best practices for password management
Given that the average person can only remember a limited number of passwords, we would recommend using a password management system.
Use a password manager
A password manager is a program that helps you create, save, manage and use passwords across different online services. It stores all your passwords in one place and protects using one master password.
It can be kept on your computer, a USB memory stick or, best of all, in the cloud – the most secure option. This ensures that even if your laptop falls into the wrong hands, your passwords remain protected.
When you visit a site that requires a password, here’s how your password manager will work:
- If you have not previously created a username and password for the site, the password manager can generate a strong and unique password. This password will be a random mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols (too complex to remember yourself) that will be stored securely in the password manager program.
- The next time you return to the site, the password manager will prompt you to autofill your saved login details. With just a click, it will input the information for you, making sign-ins fast, easy, and secure.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
It used to be common practice to change your passwords regularly, but with so many to manage, this just isn’t practical. And relying on one password alone has become an inadequate way to secure access to your online accounts.
Nowadays the term “two-factor authentication” (2FA) has been largely replaced with the term “multi-factor authorisation” (MFA). Security breaches on popular sites have led to many passwords being compromised, and hackers are coming up with increasingly devious ways in which to steal them.
A second method of identification – especially for financial accounts – is often now required before access is granted.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. It often involves a one-time code sent to your email, a phone call asking you to enter a code on your phone, or a code to type into your computer. For example, many banks require you to enter your personal ID number and password, then receive an automated phone call with a code to input on your computer.
This method combines your personal ID, password (both known only to you and your bank), and a time-sensitive code sent via phone, making it much harder for hackers to gain access.
Many sites, such as Google, allow you to choose two-factor or multi-factor authentication, so it is a very good idea to turn this option on.
Avoid sharing your passwords
Times you should share your password?…NEVER! Sharing passwords, even if you trust the person with your login credentials, is risky.
There’s no guarantee they’ll store it securely, and they might keep it on a compromised device, like their phone. This could lead to theft, putting your accounts, personal information, and even company data at risk.
Use strong and unique password combinations
Some sites will tell you when you first create an account if you have created strong or weak passwords. Coming up with a strong and unique password for every site is one of the challenges of digital life but also one of your most important security measures.
This is where password managers are useful, as they can create a complex yet secure password for you and then save it for future use when you revisit the site. The unique passwords they produce may not be easy to memorise, but because they store passwords for all your accounts, you don’t need to remember them. Password managers do the hard work for you!
Regularly change and update passwords
Regular password changes are a good idea, especially if your password has been hacked or compromised. For example, if someone acquires your online banking password, they could transfer money to their own accounts.
Or, if someone acquires your email password, they could log into your email account. However, the use of multi-factor authorisation for sensitive online accounts has greatly reduced the need for this, as your login details are only part of the process.
Common password mistakes to avoid
Names of pets as a basis for a password (“Fido123”) or your mother’s maiden name (“Smith999) might be easy to memorise, but they are also easy for a hacker to guess. The same goes for using personal information like your name or date of birth.
Likewise, simply substituting letters for numbers (1 for L, 5 for S, etc.) and adding some special characters (?.%,! etc.), while slightly more secure, is still relatively easy for a sophisticated password-cracking program to discover.
Using the same password
For obvious reasons, using the same password for all or most of your accounts is a really bad idea. Once it is guessed, your digital life will be easy for a hacker to access. Multiple accounts need multiple passwords.
Using simple passwords
The longer and more complex the password, the more secure it is. Conversely, the shorter and simpler it is, the less secure it is.
Storing passwords in unsecured places
It should be obvious that storing your passwords on your computer is equivalent to writing your PIN onto your credit card. The only slightly less secure option is to save them to a USB stick in a drawer near the computer (yes, it does happen!).
Therefore, we would recommend that the best place to store your passwords is in the cloud.
How to manage your passwords online
As we have discussed, the best place to store your passwords is in a password manager and there are many to choose from.
Password managers will generate secure passwords for you, protect them by storing them in the cloud and keep them safe behind a master password – so you only have to remember one password.
When to seek professional help
If you need more advice on password managers or the security of your operating system, Lee Harvey Computing will be happy to help. For more information, contact us via our online form or by calling 07884 412739.
Frequently asked questions about managing computer passwords
How can I remember all my passwords?
The short answer is that with a password manager you don’t have to remember them all!
A good password manager can also generate strong passwords for you, autofill login details and sync across your devices. They are also secure, with many password managers even having additional features that can help prevent phishing attacks, etc.
Can I check if my password has been compromised?
To check if one of your passwords has been compromised (or “pwned” as it is known) due to a data breach, you can enter your email address on a trusted site to check if your information is at risk.
Can all your passwords be compromised if your computer has been hacked?
If you’ve followed the advice above – used a password manager to store your passwords off-site and instigated multi-factor authorisation – then your passwords should be safe even if your computer is hacked. All you have to do is keep your master password safely memorised.
