We all use passwords everyday

Whether its to login to our online business banking, accessing our work email, or even just logging into our computers.

But what goes into making a "Secure" password?

How can you make something thats complicated enough not to be guessed or brute forced by cyber criminals, yet still be simple enough to remember with so many of them rattling around our heads?

Amongst the million and one other things small business owners have to remember each day it can be a real headache. Follow our 5 quick steps below and you'll have a solid system for instantly creating unique complex passwords that you will always be able to remember.

HERE ARE OUR TOP 5 TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:
 

1. Make your passwords very long
   The longer your password, the harder it is for a cyber criminal to crack it. Use four random common words like "Correct, Horse, Battery, Staple" that are unrelated to each other and make no grammatical sense but are easier to remember than a gibberish password like Tr)ub4dor&3.
    
2. Use an uncommon phrase and avoid any personal information
   Personal details like the names of your children, pets or hometown are easy for cyber criminals to guess or find out from online sources. Uncommon random words make the best passwords.
    
3. Create a "Passphrase" that you can easily remember
   Using the example of "Correct, Horse, Battery, Staple" we can create a random passphrase. By sticking the 4 random words together and adding a symbol and a number (your door number perhaps?) we'll have a really strong passphrase for example: CorrectHorseBatteryStable@31
    
4. Always use a fresh password for each site or service
   Each online service or account you use should have its own unique password otherwise if cyber criminals compromise one of the services you use, they could gain access to all of your accounts in one go. Using the strong passphrase we created at step 3, we can simply append it with the name of the service for example:
   
   CorrectHorseBatteryStable@31amazon or CorrectHorseBatteryStable@31facebook
   
   this means that you'll have an easy way to remember hundreds of unique passwords, but only have to remember the one passphrase.
    
5. Use a password manager
   A password manager like 1Password will safely create truly random gibberish passwords for all of your accounts and store them all in a safe way.
   There are apps for your computers and smartphones and it really takes the hassle out of securely creating and remembering all of your different credentials. 1Password also allows you to create secure sharing "Vaults" that let you safely share passwords with your team members, a fantastic alternative to insecurely emailing passwords back and forth between team members. 

WHAT NEXT?

Implementing these 5 simple steps will make a huge difference to the security of your business's password, and help you stay safe online.

If you would like some further guidance on this or any of the other topics covered on our blog then feel free to contact one of our friendly small business advisors on: 01684 600 001 or hello@cybersteps.co.uk