Today is World Password Day, a holiday created by Intel on the first Thursday of May to ensure everyone knows password best practices. “P@ssW0rd” has never been a safe password to use to protect your accounts… ever.
There are best practices to keep in mind when creating passwords. Here are a few of our personal favorites:
- Keep Your Passwords Private - NEVER share a password with anyone else. Make sure passwords are not written down, especially not on a sticky note on your monitor.
- Make a Strong, Complex Password - Use passwords of at least eight (8) characters or more (longer is better). Use a combination of uppercase letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters (for example: !, @, &, %, +) in all passwords. Avoid using people’s or pet’s names, or words found in the dictionary; it’s also best to avoid using key dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
- Use a Password Management System - There are free options and more expensive options. You can create truly random, very long, and unique passwords for each site, and because the software will remember them for you, you never have to worry about what your password is. Your password manager will store and encrypt the passwords for you, and log you in automatically.
KnowBe4 has other resources available, including…
The Pesky Password Problem: How Hackers and Defenders Battle For Your Network Control
What really makes a “strong” password? And why are your end-users tortured with them in the first place? How do hackers crack your passwords with ease? And what can/should you do about your authentication methods?
In this unique webinar you will learn about the recent NIST controversy and related password cracking problems. The “combatants” are on the one side KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, Kevin Mitnick with decades of first-hand “red-side” penetration testing experience, and on the other side Roger Grimes, KnowBe4's Data-Driven Defense Evangelist with decades of experience on the blue team. The referee is Perry Carpenter, KnowBe4's Chief Evangelist and Strategy Officer.
Utilize our Free Password Tools
Did you know 81% of hacking-related breaches use either stolen and/or weak passwords? Employees are the weakest link in network security, using weak passwords and falling for phishing and social engineering attacks. Our free Weak Password Test (WPT) checks your Active Directory for several different types of weak password related threats, and sends you a report in just a few minutes.
25% of employees are using the same password for all logins. What if that password is available on the dark web? A massive amount of passwords are compromised due to data breaches and used by the bad guys for attacks. KnowBe4’s free Breached Password Test (BPT) checks to see if your users are currently using passwords that are in publicly available breaches associated with your domain. BPT checks against your Active Directory and reports compromised passwords in use right now so that you can take action immediately!
The bad guys are constantly coming out with new ways to hack into your network and steal your organization’s confidential information. Our free Password Exposure Test (PET) allows you to run an in-depth analysis of your organization’s hidden exposure risk associated with your users. PET makes it easy for you to identify users with exposed emails publicly available on the web, and checks your Active Directory to see if they are using weak or compromised passwords that are part of a known data breach. You’ll get your results in minutes.
You know the benefits of how multi-factor authentication (MFA) can decrease your cybersecurity risk, and is certainly a much stronger defense compared to using traditional passwords alone. KnowBe4’s free Multi-Factor Authentication Security Assessment (MASA) helps you gauge your organization's MFA security readiness and identifies your specific risks so you can better defend against MFA hacks.
While World Password Day is celebrated only once a year, it’s important to keep your organization secure all year long. You can use our free password security tools at any time throughout the year to help and use our Free Downloadable Complex Password Guide!!
Here's how it works:
