6 Steps for your Password Security
Your level of online privacy is only as good as your level of online security.
Your password is the first line of defence when securing your identity against potential fraudsters, scammers, organised crime and others wanting unauthorised access to your private information. Yet, most people surf the Internet for the convenience it offers and do not consider the security implications.
Even if companies have data security policies and insist on passwords to protect sensitive proprietary information, away from the workplace many people are less compliant regarding their own password security. Yet, your personal security starts with the password. That password is the front door key to your life.
6 steps for your password security
- Beware of password entropy. Do not use all lower case or upper case characters. Rather, select a combination of characters, numbers and symbols for your password.
- Do not over analyse your password selection. Rather, choose a word or a phrase that you can use by adding symbols and numbers.
- Improve your security by ensuring that you have different passwords for different accounts. Group your accounts together and use a number or alphanumeric set of characters to choose different passwords for those accounts. For example: all your bank account passwords will start with the phrase LivingWealth, followed by a number and symbol- 123£££. This would represent one bank account. Other accounts could be LivingWealth, followed by 456$$$ or other numbers and symbols connecting the password to the account.
- Use multifactorial authorisation. After you logo- in, you will receive a text message with a randomly generated number. This number provides access to your account.
- Do not rely on security questions as they can be easily compromised. If you opt for this system, add another password for enhanced security.
- Remember that email was never meant to be secure. Be prepared for the content of your private emails to be displayed in the public domain. If you want to send private information, use encryption.
Learn how to protect your data when travelling. Attend one of our courses and improve your online security with some simple, but effective, techniques.
H.E.A.T. tip: Sign up for a virtual private network (VPN) service. Your VPN service provider will route your encrypted data via its own secure servers.
