World Password Day is indeed a thing, and it’s a thing to celebrate in the world of business technology, as it celebrates password awareness and advocates account security in a time when cybersecurity has never been more important. To help you observe World Password Day, we want to go over why passwords are important and why you need to take password security seriously.

World Password Day Says Passwords Are Important…

In 2005, a security researcher named Mark Burnett wrote a book titled Perfect Passwords. One of the key ideas from this book was that users create their very own password days, or time when they take a close look at their password security practices. Intel then took this advice and created a global observance, identifying the first Thursday in May as World Password Day. Since 2013, World Password Day has encouraged many individuals to refresh their passwords and increase awareness of the important security measures in both a professional and personal setting.

Of course, what’s a World Password Day without some best practices? Here are some to think about:

• Use unique passwords for each account—no reusing them across accounts.
• Use alphanumeric characters and symbols whenever you can.
• Each password should be complex enough that it is difficult to guess; we recommend using a passphrase that is easy to remember, but difficult to guess.
• Don’t store your passwords in a place where anyone can access them. Use a password manager approved by your IT department.

…But There is More to Security Than Strong Passwords

While strong passwords certainly go a long way toward keeping your accounts safe, it’s equally important to acknowledge that passwords as authenticators are simply not as effective as they used to be. We recommend using multi-factor authentication whenever possible, as having multiple keys to your accounts will make it less likely that the conditions will be met for a hacker to infiltrate said accounts.

Take World Password Day and Make It About Holistic MFA Security

First Column IT can help you implement the right tools for the right job, especially when it comes to network security, multi-factor authentication, and other business security tools. To learn more, call us at (571) 470-5594 today.

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