The internet is a wonderful tool for businesses! Moving your business to the cloud creates opportunities for growth and reach previously unavailable to small businesses. However, the internet has also become a tool for those with wrong intentions. For this reason, some people may be hesitant to move their business to the cloud.
The good news is that internet security isn’t as mysterious as it may seem. By taking a few key steps, you can virtually guarantee your business will be able to reap the benefits of the internet without having to worry about any of its dangers.
In our previous post, we talked about VPN’s or Virtual Private Networks. If you haven’t already set one up, you need to. Contact us for a free quote and we will help you set up a VPN for your business. Today, we want to share another simple security measure every business and individual should be taking.
What is it you ask? Strong Passwords!
Are you putting yourself in danger by making these mistakes?
Today’s internet is constantly asking us to sign up for something. Every service, social network, and website has something that seems to require a username and password. Unfortunately, most people don’t have a strategy for their online security. This leads to some easily avoidable mistakes that put their data at risk. Some of the most common mistakes are:
- Using the same username and password for every service and website.
- Using easily guessable usernames and passwords such as a name, birthdate, or series of numbers such as 123456.
- Changing letters in a password for a common number. For example, using the number 1 in place of a letter I or L.
- Using passwords that are commonly used among the general population.
Why this password strategy is not a good idea
There are a number of problems with this strategy:
- Most of these passwords would be easily guessable. Any hacker can learn birthdates and use programs to guess dictionary words relevant to you.
- These password strategies are are commonly used. Study’s have shown that some of the most commonly used passwords are passwords such as 123456, ABC123, and even “password”. Yes, that’s right, people love to use the word “password” as their password.
- Using the same password for everything means if a hacker gains access to one of your accounts, they now have access to ALL of your accounts!
If you are making any of the mistakes we mentioned in this article, we strongly encourage you to make the necessary changes today! The internet is a great place, but don’t make the mistakes that could cause you to become a target. In our next post, we will talk more about how to create, use, and store strong passwords.
