Although the typical American mindset is “It would never happen to me”, it is best not to be complacent with something as vital as your password. Protect yourself and your company by learning tips for improving your password security, as well as how to change your password easily with NuContent.
This day and age, it seems as though there is a password for virtually everything-computers, networks, email accounts and online accounts, just to name a few. They protect personal and corporate financial information, confidential accounts and a wealth of information that is off-limits to others. Anyone with your password could access this information and do with it whatever they please, including using it against you or your company, altering it or deleting it. Although the typical American mindset is “It would never happen to me”, it is best not to be complacent with something so vital. Protect yourself and your company by learning tips for improving your password security, as well as how to change your password easily with NuContent.
According to one statistic by the Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University (CERT/CC), approximately 80% of all network security problems are the result of bad passwords. Therefore, creating a good password is a simple way to ensure the integrity of your data. A few recommendations for choosing a good password include:
- Use mixed-case letters in your password. Because passwords are case sensitive, incorporating uppercase letters throughout your password will make it harder to crack.
- Include alphanumeric characters and punctuation where able.
- Choose a seemingly random selection of letters, numbers and punctuation
- Opt for a password that can be typed quickly and without looking at the keyboard. This will prevent those around you from engaging in “shoulder-surfing”, or watching you type in order to learn your password.
- Choose a completely new password each time you change it. For example, if your old password was “career”, your new password should not be “careers”.
- Change your password regularly! Changing your password regularly will help prevent others from figuring out what it is and accessing your information. The more important the data is, the more frequently you should change your password. Also, remember to change passwords as your staff changes. If an employee who was recently let go may have had access to company passwords, make sure to change them immediately! Who knows what a disgruntled employee may be capable of!
While it’s helpful to point out a few suggestions for improving password security, it’s also worthwhile to mention a few things to avoid:
- Don’t use a network ID in any form-it’s just too obvious!
- Don’t incorporate your name, initials or nickname into your password in any form.
- Never use a word found in a dictionary, English or foreign. It makes it too easy for hackers to figure out your password.
- Never use easily obtainable information, such as a pet’s name, address, etc.
- Never write your password down and leave it in an easily accessible area.
- Don’t reuse old passwords.
- Never use a shared password.
- Don’t tell anyone your password.
Does it seem like creating a good password is just too much work? If you’re proactive in your approach, it will be easier than it first appears. One way to choose a good password is to utilize a mnemonic device. Choose the first letter of each word from the line of a song or phrase that you like, and make that your password. Of course, incorporating mixed-case letters will make your password even more secure. For example, “Three blind mice, see how they run!” would become “3Bm,shTr”-a password that would be easy to remember, yet difficult to crack. Another idea is to choose two short words connected by punctuation. For example, “Time$Off!” would be a good choice. To check the security of your password, visit https://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/checker.aspxand enter it into the Password Strength Meter.
Since writing down your password will compromise its security, it is important to choose a password that you will be able to remember. Never change your password on a Friday or before a vacation-you likely will not remember it when you return to work. Also, use your new password immediately and log in several times that day in order to help you remember it.
Now that you’re ready to choose a new password, doing so is easier than ever before with NuContent VX. As the administrator for your Web site, simply log in and choose to Manage Users. Selecting that option and choosing “edit” next to your name will take you to a screen where you can change the password for yourself and everyone with access to edit the site. Once you have entered the new password(s) and saved your changes, log into your site a few times to help you remember your new password.
By choosing a good password that you change frequently, you will take a vital step to ensuring the security and integrity of your personal and corporate information and data. Don’t let something that is so simple to improve cause detrimental problems for your business. What are you waiting for? Go change your password!
