DO YOUR PASSWORDS PASS MUSTER?

Despite increased awareness in online security, people are still putting themselves at risk by falling short of the basic principles of password management.

Our own independent research with 1000 consumers has revealed that more than a quarter of those questioned are still using simple passwords such as ‘password’ or ‘1234’ to access work and personal information.

Lifeline IT’s co-founder Daniel Mitchell was recently a guest on The Times radio, advising listeners on good password management. In this week’s newsletter, we give you some of Daniel’s key tips on how to manage your passwords effectively and reduce risk.

THE BASICS

Always use complicated passwords for each service/device – never use the same password on different accounts – and don’t use dictionary words or follow word patterns or sequences, as these can be easier to obtain. Ideally a password should be 10-12 characters (a minimum of eight) and it should be a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.

Wherever possible, use two-factor authentication. This means that in addition to your username and password, you enter a code that is sent to your phone or email. This is an extra layer of security, as it means you can only access an account if you have your phone on you.

MANAGING PASSWORDS SECURELY

If you use strong passwords and two-factor authentication, there is no need to change your passwords often. Here at Lifeline IT, we strongly recommend the use of password management software, to store all your passwords safely. People can be reluctant to use these systems, wrongly believing they may be hard to navigate or could be unsafe. But they are one of the best ways of storing and remembering multiple complex passwords. We recommend using one of the following:

• Bitwarden
• 1Password
• Lastpass