Password Security

The cloud has revolutionized the way in which we store data, communicate, and perform our work. It has simplified our lives as users by keeping us connected with all of our devices and information anytime, anywhere.  

The downside of this service is the fact that if someone manages to get access to our login information, they instantly have access to our entire digital lives. In some cases this is can be our whole life.

A Senior Writer at Wired Magazine learned this lesson the hard way. Hackers managed to gain access to his Apple account through social engineering. In his written account of what went down, he explains how once they accessed this account, they were able to in turn have access to every other account and device he owned, including his phone, tablet, and PC. This was a wakeup call as to the power of the cloud.

As users, what can we do to prevent this from happening? One of the easiest and most common ways hackers break into accounts is by obtaining or cracking login credentials. These usually consist of a username and password. We can help to prevent this through the use of strong passwords. Passwords containing dictionary words, even if they have numbers attached to them can be easily broken by what is referred to as a brute force attack through the use of software. The best passwords contain seemingly random upper and lower- case letters, numbers, and symbols. A three year old can mash a keyboard and produce an uncrack-able password. The trick is remembering it.

I’m sure everyone has been in an office at some point and seen the token “username and password written on a sticky-note” stuck to a computer monitor. I wouldn’t suggest this as a means of remembering your information.
Catch phrases are a great way of remembering. An example would be MFBSIJB007! “My favorite British spy is James Bond 007!” There are also great free programs out there like KeePass, which will encrypt and store your login information; they can even create passwords for you.

Creating and remembering a strong password can be one of the most powerful and simple ways of securing your online world.