In today's digital world, the IT security of online accounts and personal data is becoming increasingly important. Find out more about IT security in our article “IT security in companies: Importance and solutions”. However, the growing number of passwords poses a challenge: How can we create secure, yet easy-to-remember passwords? This article is dedicated to precisely this topic. We will discuss how robust passwords can be established in companies and at the same time protected against external threats. You will learn ways to secure your digital identity and protect yourself from cyber attacks.
Managing a large number of passwords can be problematic: it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember them all. As a result, users often tend to use simple passwords that match their username or consist of easy-to-guess sequences such as “123456”. These simple passwords are particularly vulnerable to unauthorized access.
But what makes a secure password?
At a time when internet accounts and private information are increasingly being targeted by cyber attacks, password security is becoming more and more important - both for companies and private individuals. A robust password not only protects your data, but also your identity. Should a hacker gain access to your accounts, the consequences can be severe. For this reason, it is essential to choose strong passwords and store them securely. But how do you keep track of them and ensure effective protection for your data?
Properly managing your passwords is essential for all internet users. Effective password management increases the security of your online accounts and keeps you in control of your digital identity.
Tips for better password management:
Many Internet users hope to avoid negative consequences. But what if an access route is created, for example by stealing a password? This could grant access to other important accounts and unauthorized persons could carry out fraudulent activities under your name. The risk of unauthorized persons gaining access to your passwords has various causes:
In today's digital world, where data leaks and cyberattacks are ubiquitous, the importance of secure passwords for businesses cannot be underestimated. Find out more about different types of cyberattacks and how you can protect your company in our blog post “Company-wide cyber security: protection against digital threats”.
Strong passwords are not only a shield for sensitive information, but also a line of defense for the digital identity of a company and its employees. By implementing password policies and using password managers, companies can take effective measures to strengthen their IT security and protect themselves from potential attacks.
A secure password must meet several criteria to be considered truly secure. The most important factors are length and diversity: a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters significantly increases security. The password should be at least 12 characters long to ensure a high level of protection. In addition, no personal data should be used in the password, as this is easy for hackers to guess, e.g. names, dates of birth or surnames.
Alternatively, a passphrase can be used. This is a sentence or longer combination of words that you choose yourself, which is more difficult to guess and less predictable. The first letters of this combination of words are then strung together to create a particularly robust password. However, it is important that the passphrase is created individually and is not a well-known saying or publicly available sentence from the internet.
A secure password that you create yourself should be at least 12 to 16 characters long and consist of a varied combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. As a general rule, the longer the password, the more difficult it is for attackers to crack it. Security increases with each additional character.
A unique, individually created password should be used for each individual account to significantly increase security. If passwords are used multiple times, a single data leak can be enough for attackers to access all other online accounts, as the same password is stored everywhere. In the event of a hacker attack or security incident, the affected passwords should be changed immediately. In addition, two-factor authentication can significantly increase the security of each individual account.
A password manager is a piece of software that creates unique passwords for each account, stores them in encrypted form and fills them in automatically when needed. This gives users a better overview and allows them to manage their login details centrally.
Additional security is provided by a strong master password, which must be entered when the software is started and protects access to all stored passwords. Without the master password, it is not possible to access the encrypted password database. Although password managers differ in their range of functions, the following applies to all of them: both the master password and the stored access data are encrypted, so that access is denied without the appropriate authorisation.
