Why a Password Manager is a Security Essential?

‘123456’, ‘qwerty’, your child’s birthday, the name of your first pet – which one are you guilty of? Even today, with so much awareness around, many of us are still using passwords that are severely compromised.?This puts our devices, employers and personal information at risk of cybercrime, fraud and more.

Cyber attacks and data breaches appear regularly in the news, we are used to hearing about them and know they’re a constant threat. In 2019, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) released a file containing?the top 100,000 passwords. As part of this research, ‘123456’ was found to be the most widely used password in data breaches. Password security is one of the simplest, yet most important measure in staying safe online. Let’s explore this in further detail.

The security risk from within

It’s tempting to choose a single, memorable password and repeatedly use it, but this is one of the worst things to do. Anyone who gains access to this password and can associate it with your email address can easily gain access to any accounts you use the pair with. This can cause significant damage.

Employees can apply poor password etiquette across both their professional accounts and their personal ones. Sometimes, the two may even cross over, with work email addresses used with personal passwords and vice versa. Without having a password policy in place, your organisation is exposed to the risk of data breaches.

Tips for creating a secure password

We’ve written in detail about how to create secure passwords, which you can read in our?top tips blog post. However, here are some simple guidelines to get started with:

• Avoid using predictable passwords (family or pet names) and the most common passwords (12345, passw0rd)
• Don’t use a standard dictionary word or grammatically correct phrases, opt for random words instead (carsblueroll, instead of mycarisblue).
• Include uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Use both numbers and letters.
• Include non-alphanumeric symbols (@ ￡ ^ *).
• Try not to use obvious substitutions for letters (hoUS1e instead of H0use).
• Aim for 12+ characters. A longer password, if securely created, is usually harder to crack than a short one.
• Try using a memory trick to create an extra complex password. Pick a memorable phrase to you: ‘My first car was a 2002 Ford Fiesta! It cost ￡100 per month’. This becomes mfcwa02FF!Ic￡1pm

It is understandably very difficult to create unique passwords that adhere to the above for the numerous accounts people have access to. This is where a password manager can come into its own.

The threat of a changing environment

The rise of hybrid working has meant employee activity has changed. Many of us are at least occasionally working outside of the office. Being in the familiar surroundings of a home can lead to a more relaxed approach to security. This is a dangerous stance to take, as there is no reason to be any less vigilant when working elsewhere. Security awareness and education is more important than ever. Take a look at our blog post on?increasing staff security awareness, and explore our?tips for building a positive cyber security culture.

While you may feel like you don’t have that many passwords, start counting them up… Various studies suggest the average employee has access to 100 accounts requiring password authentication. Do you still think you wouldn’t benefit from a password manager?

The benefits of a password manager

A password manager, also known as a password vault, offers a central location to store and manage passwords. These services are recommended by the NCSC and include solutions from well-known brands including LastPass, Passportal, Keeper Security and more.

A password manager will generate and store high-strength, unique passwords for every one of your accounts, it will then automatically populate these into websites and applications. You don’t need to recall anything but the one complex password to access the vault. These login details are typically protected with multi-factor authentication, making them doubly secure. Find out more about?why you need multi-factor authentication here.

Say goodbye to spreadsheets, post-it notes and repeat passwords. It really is that simple to eradicate poor password creation and make all of your online accounts more secure.

Secure your business with password management

Strong passwords can be your first line of defence against cyber threats. At M-Tech, we take cyber security very seriously and we want to help you do the same. We’re Cyber Essentials certified, IASME Gold certified and ISO 27001 accredited.

We see password security as an essential requirement in both business and education. Take control of your passwords and gain added peace of mind.?Chat to us today?about introducing a password management solution within your organisation.