Password Security and Management Recommendations

Creating and recalling long, difficult passwords is problematic for a lot of people, and it is made even more challenging as a result of the need to produce passwords to secure several accounts – A research by NordPass indicates the average individual has approximately 100 passwords. A lot of folks struggle to make and keep in mind several strong and unique passwords, and so with numerous accounts to protect it is not shocking that people take shortcuts, however, those password management tools make password security vulnerable.

It is typical for users to not create unique passwords and utilize a similar password for several accounts, nevertheless, in case one password is exposed, either by means of a phishing scam, brute force tactics, or a different way, all accounts that make use of that password are at an increased risk. Modifying passwords a little by putting a number or replacing characters for several accounts isn’t more secure, and will make accounts prone to brute force attacks, and jotting down passwords is by no means a good option.

Numerous companies have put in place minimum complexity criteria for passwords, specifying a minimum password length and formula specifications, but it is usual for people to take shortcuts to create passwords less difficult to remember. You can make a password that matches minimum complexity specifications still is still unbelievably weak.

Global Password Management Survey Shows Bad Password Management Practices

The 2022 Global Password Management Survey done by Bitwarden, a password management solution provider, has pointed out the password practices of people in America. Though it is good that 98% of Americans mentioned they were quite or fairly familiar with password security guidelines, it is a problem that 31% have suffered a security breach in the last 18 months. That is probably no surprise taking into consideration the survey showed 85% of U.S. citizens reuse passwords on various websites.

60% claim their average password length is between 9 and 15 characters (the beginning point for a protected password is currently thought to be 14 characters) and 49% of Americans stated they depend on their mind for handling passwords, which implies that passwords might not be notably strong. That is plainly not the best method because 24% of U.S. survey participants stated they must reset a minimum of one password each day or a number of times per week. 32% record their passwords, 23% save them in a file on their laptop, and 20% save them in email accounts.

Merely 30% employ a password manager, which is commonly regarded as the perfect application for making strong passwords and saving them safely. Password managers use strong password generators that could be utilized to create truly random strings of characters for passwords that are protected against brute force attacks, and keep passwords inside an encrypted vault.

Even with password managers providing organizations a simple way to strengthen password security, just 32% of Americans mentioned they must utilize a password manager at the office, though 68% of Americans feel their workplace must give a password manager for usage in the place of work.

Guidelines for Password Safety and Management

World Password Day 2022 is the best time to check password protection and take action to make certain that all accounts are appropriately secured with good and unique
passwords, and begin implementing password recommendations:

  • Make sure to use a strong, unique password in all accounts
  • Utilize a combo of upper- and lower-case letters, symbols, and numbers in
    passwords
  • Employ quick to recall passphrases in place of passwords, that include at least 14 Don’t use passwords again on many accounts
  • Do not use details in passwords that may be identified in social media accounts
    (birthdate, partner or pet name, etc.) or is well-known to other folks
  • Be sure 2-factor authentication is used, specifically for accounts including
    sensitive information
  • Employ a secure password generator to make random characters
  • Do not make use of dictionary words and often utilized passwords
  • Make use of a password manager for generating strong passwords and safe storage, and your password vault should have a lengthy and difficult passphrase.