There is an increasing number of websites and companies that insist on passwords when accessing their systems. Unfortunately, as a managed IT services provider in Denver, we have noticed that these aren’t being treated as securely as they should be. There are three main problems with the passwords that people choose. Any of these can lead to a company’s IT system being overrun by hackers so that they can steal your sensitive data or cause you to be locked out of your infrastructure.
The Worst Ways to Choose a Password
The main culprits are people who use easy-to-guess passwords. Surprisingly, a fifth of all passwords is ‘123456’. Although at first glance, the popular ‘1q2w3e4r’ looks hard to guess and stronger than a single word from a dictionary, it is a pattern that is just as easy to hack. That is before you get to the frighteningly high number of people using the word ‘password’. Add this to the fact that many users will have the same password over a number of sites and this is a recipe for disaster. The hackers will use automated programs to guess a password for sites that have little security, then it becomes an easy matter to try the same email and password for a number of higher security sites.
Ways to Prevent Hackers Infiltrating Your Company
As a managed IT services company in Denver, we recommend training all of your employees to recognize the importance of a different password for each login and never to use the general ‘sign in with Facebook or Google’ options. This can become unwieldy with the number of passwords we all need to use. However, it is possible to use a password manager program that will create strong passwords for each login for you.
There are also ways to create a strong password yourself, and the easiest is to think of a memorable phrase. For example, ‘I attended West High School in Denver! We had our 12th-grade prom at Infinity Park.’ This could turn into a password of IaWHSiD!Who12gpaIP which as you can see is easy to remember but difficult to guess.
If you think your company would benefit from the help of an experienced managed IT services company in Denver, then we are ready and waiting to take your call. At AccountabilIT, we are fully aware of the importance of strong password protection for any IT systems. We can recommend improvements and strengthen your security so that you are less at risk from hacking and cybercrime. Contact us now to see how we can help you protect your business from ruthless criminals.
