Your colleague risks network security with weak passwords. How do you prevent a potential breach?

This would be a good start educating your resources about weak passwords and also the risk associated with them. However, just giving education would not completely mitigate the risk there should be some technical measures put in place to avoid such weak passwords in the environment few examples are listed below which can further strengthen the security and reduce the risk but technical limitations also needs to be verified. - Enabling MFA - Enhancing the password settings to not accept short or non complex passwords - Controlling the access through a PAM solution to end devices - Enabling a dictionary in device so that common or weak passwords cannot be used by user - Using SSH Keys and other secure logon mechanisms

Conducting quarterly educative sessions on passwords management will greatly help in avoiding risks that could compromise the infrastructure. An interactive sessions would be a neat solution.

Basically protect your environment while at the same time make it easier for your people: - password policy to enforce stronger passwords -> don't go for regular forced new passwords -> or if so, not often at all - MFA mandatory so 2nd factor is required - support password-less login (Passkey, FIDO2,...) - use SSO (SAML, OAuth) wherever possible Using SSO in combination with passwordless authentication is probably not only the most secure approach, but also the most convenient one for the users at the same time (win-win).

Socialising colleagues on importance of strong passwords usage, is an important step in ensuring colleague and ultimately organisation security. However I genuinely believe that it needs to be paired with other layers/factor’s ensuring enhanced coverage.

Starting up with lead with Cybersecurity Seminars then second Impose strict Password Characters in every Change Password Resets.

Enforcing strong password policy such as password rotation, mix of characters, password length would force user to abide by it. This could be an inconvenient part but can't really compromise with security posture.

Strong password policy ensures that there is a baseline for all users having access to the otherwise restricted system. Providing a measurable level of confidence. I genuinely believe that it needs to be paired with other layers/factor’s ensuring enhanced coverage.

Host a fun cybersecurity workshop to highlight the risks of weak passwords at work and at home, introduce passphrases, and shift to passwordless options like biometrics or SSO. This ensures secure systems, a seamless user process, and promotes a culture of shared security responsibility.

A weak password should be eliminated. Process and supported configuration may not help such gap. Yes, safe keeping and activity tracker must be designed for monitoring of any leakage. Bring them on-board, why easy passwords also can be of high complexity.

Eliminate any thought of “password complexity“ and frequent change requirements. Password complexity rules mathematically reduce the strength of passwords by up to 128 times. There is one thing you can do that will address the “weak password“ issue and that is make the password longer. Yes there will be more typing, but there is no need to ever change a password that has 100 bits of entropy or more. A reflexive response is that changing the password reduces the temporal utility of a compromised password – but if you change your password every 30 days, that means the average amount of time that a threat agent will have access using that password is 15 days. That is effectively eternity in terms of a cyber compromise.

In addition to generating passwords, these managers also automatically fill in credentials on websites and apps, making it easier for users to maintain unique passwords across different platforms. They can also alert users about potential security breaches or if they’re using a password that’s been compromised in a data leak. Password managers also help in adhering to strict password policies without the hassle of remembering multiple complex passwords. They can be configured to generate passwords that meet specific criteria, such as length, complexity, and variety of characters.

Use Password Managers: Encourage the use of password managers to generate and store secure passwords. Simplify password management for users while enhancing security.

Password managers are more or less mandatory nowadays to ensure you have a different password for every site/app. But you need to ensure the password manager is trusted (for example by using one which is hosted on premises).

Moreover, regular audits can provide valuable data over time, allowing you to track improvements in password security and identify areas where further training or policy adjustments may be needed.

Password managers simplify and strengthen security practices by eliminating the need to remember multiple passwords. Encourage colleagues to adopt these tools to streamline login processes and enhance protection. Password managers generate unique, strong passwords for each account and store them securely, reducing the risk of breaches caused by weak or reused passwords. They also offer convenient features like auto-fill and synchronization across devices, improving productivity and ensuring compliance with security policies. By advocating for password managers, you foster a more secure and efficient work environment, bolstering overall network defenses.

Monitor and Audit Password Policies: Regularly check for compliance with password policies. Identify and address any instances of weak passwords being used.

When an intrusion is suspected due to weak passwords, it is crucial to isolate the affected systems and change passwords immediately, implementing strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. Next, analyze how the breach occurred by reviewing logs and assessing the impact, identifying the compromised data. It is vital to communicate the incident to the cybersecurity team and educate staff on the importance of strong passwords and security protocols. Finally, password management policies should be updated, security audits should be conducted, ongoing training should be provided and security tools such as password managers and monitoring systems should be improved.

Use MFA wherever possible. But this should be combined with SSO to ensure people don't waste their time confirming passwords all the time.

Use MFA, or use auth keys that you cannot type in but must access via a vault. Humans can always be compromised, and to get around this you have to add a tech layer in between that they cant get around to authenticate the user or application, look at the web hook approach as an example but do this with humans

Every policy is ineffective if individuals do not understand what information can be shared and what should remain confidential. So a combination of implementing strong policies and conducting awareness sessions on topics like social engineering and so on .

The industry is moving forward in removing the password experience altogether. As such, Passkeys are the replacement for passwords that provide faster, easier, and more secure sign-ins to websites and applications across a user’s devices. Unlike passwords, passkeys are always strong and phishing-resistant as they are stored on the user's device.

Statistically, the weakest link in IT security is the human factor, due to mistakes, lack of training, susceptibility to social engineering or negligence. Employees may choose weak passwords, fall for phishing attacks, ignore security policies, and leave systems vulnerable through insecure practices. To mitigate these risks, it is crucial to implement ongoing education and training programs, establish rigorous security policies, and conduct attack simulations to improve employee preparedness and awareness.

Further security implementation is the use of captive portal to maintain network security by limiting the access of authenticated users only. A captive portal is used to levy charges and/or force the user to accept some sort of terms and conditions before they are allowed to connect.

Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security by requiring MFA. Ensure that even if a password is compromised, additional verification is needed.