Virtually every kind of online account requires a password. Yet, due to the aggressive nature of hackers, passwords alone are no longer enough to protect your information. The best way to approach network security is to have more protections in place than just a flimsy password.
Why Aren’t Passwords Good Enough?
Today’s hackers have an arsenal of advanced tools they can use to crack a password. Here are just a few:
Due to factors like these, selecting a password has become challenging. For example, it feels like you only have two options when it comes to your passwords; 1) Come up with a password that’s easy to remember (and have it be prone to hacking), or 2) Have the password be long and complex, thus making it difficult to remember.
Passwords Need Some Help
Passwords are still a key part of the security equation, but they shouldn’t be the only part. This is where two-factor authentication comes into play, requiring a second form of authentication after the password is successfully entered. Many of the additional authentication options available to users lie outside the grasp of hackers, like an SMS message with a unique code sent directly to the user’s cell phone.
Another way to protect your information is monitoring your account’s access logs for any suspicious activity, like a new user logging on from somewhere in the world that makes no sense. Monitoring your network like this is just one way that The Connection, Inc can proactively secure your data. This way, a hacker who has successfully stolen the correct password will still be flagged and subsequently blocked from doing any damage.
In addition to two-factor authentication and monitoring access logs, you should take advantage of an enterprise-level password management system that stores all of your passwords in a secure application, and then automatically plugs them into accounts so that you don’t have to keep track of complex passwords. This is in addition to a comprehensive network security solution like a Unified Threat Management tool.
For more information about password security best practices, give The Connection, Inc a call at (732) 291-5938.
Comments