How to setup a secure password

Setting up a secure password is essential to all members of an organisation since just one strong password can mean all the difference to the security of that organisation.

Strong Passwords

When setting up passwords, most people have the habit of re-using weak passwords because they’re easy to remember, but this isn’t the most secure solution. Strong passwords help people safeguard their private information such as files, documents, and emails. Good, secure passwords also make it harder for cyber criminals to take over accounts.

Here are some tips for everyone when creating secure passwords:

• Don’t include personal information like your birthday, family members names, pets name, hobbies, etc. Cyber criminals will try to collect information about you online and will try to use the information they find to guess the passwords to your accounts.
• Don’t use any sequential numbers (e.g. 123456 or 0000).
• Make sure your passwords are long including letters, numbers, and special characters. For example, He382$%@tuj or longer. This makes it harder for cyber criminals to guess.
• Avoid using words that can be found easily in a dictionary, for example, Pizza34 would be weak and easy for cyber criminals to hack your accounts.
• Use Password Managers, like Dashlane for example, to keep all your passwords safe.
• Use an online password generator such as itLocker to instantly create a secure, random password using alpha-numeric characters of up to 8, 16 or 32 characters in length, or a Passphrase password, based on 2, 3 or 4 words, symbol and number options.

What If My Password Gets Hacked?

Some signs to look out for if your password has been hacked:

• People in your contacts receiving messages that appear to be from you.
• Your systems start running a lot slower.
• You may receive a message from the cyber criminals telling you that they have locked you out of your account and want you to pay a sum for it to be returned to you.
• You might not be able to access some websites or apps or there are new applications that you don’t remember installing.
• There may be purchases made on your account that you know were not made by you.

Steps you can take if your password has been hacked:

• If a cyber criminal manages to hack your accounts, change your passwords immediately this can be a first line of defence if you catch them early before they have done major damage to your account.
• If your password has been hacked on one of your financial accounts and you have the ability to freeze your account, do so quickly and contact your bank quickly also. This way while you sort the issue with your bank the cyber criminals can make any more purchases.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication, this way another layer of security is given to your account.
• Contact your IT provider for assistance.

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