ROCHESTER HILLS – Just about every business these days is getting hacked. For example, at the beginning of June, the Twitter and Pinterest accounts of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg were breached because he used a common password: “dadada”. Zuckerberg was lucky, however, since the hack was conducted by a company testing his security.

Zuckerberg is not alone. According to a study by Statista, over a million people still use easy-to-remember passwords. The infographic below shows the 10 most popular LinkedIn passwords, obtained in 2012 breach of about 117 million accounts. According to LeakedSource, “123456” was the most popular password (over 750,000 accounts used it, to be exact).

Want to keep your sensitive information safe from a possible security breach? Follow these five steps for secure passwords that are easy to remember:

  • Make it long. Security experts recommend passwords to be between 8 and 12 characters at the minimum. The longer the password is, the more difficult it is for hackers to use automated systems to crack it.
  • Avoid dictionary words, names and places. Hackers often use common words when trying to log into secure systems. It’s also best if you don’t use full words either. Consider using variations of words that you will remember instead.
  • Include numbers and special characters. Another way you can make your passwords more secure is by making them more complex with numbers and special characters. Include at least two of these for a stronger password.
  • Make it random. Rather than including special characters at the start or end of your password, consider sprinkling them throughout. Also, consider incorporating letters you wouldn’t normally use.
  • Use a random password generator. If you’re not sure what password you’d like to generate, consider using a password generator from a site like Random.org. The problem with that is that you still must manage all of these random passwords somewhere and that becomes the next dilemma.

These five tips will help you create strong passwords. Just changing your passwords won’t prevent your business, however, from all possible security breaches. CloudTech1 offers robust services that will allow you to maintain the security of your network at an affordable price. Learn more here.

There are also tools specific to securing passwords. CloudTech1 can show you intelligent ways to protect your image and organize your passwords.  Would you spend $3/month to keep from getting hacked and remove the frustration of managing dozens, if not hundreds, of passwords?  If the answer is YES, then reach out to us!  We have economical solutions that will provide the security you desire while giving you peace of mind.

Call us at 855-625-6831.  Visit our website at www.cloudtech1.com  or email us at [email protected].  Every positive change starts with a conversation.