Cybersecurity is not just about compliance. It is about protecting your business, because the consequences of a security breach can extend beyond financial losses. Small businesses that suffer cyberattacks often have to deal with custom trust issues, and regulatory authorities may make it hard to do business as usual. One of the common ways in which hackers attack or hack businesses is through backdoor exploits. Password protection measures can actually prevent such incidents. In this post, we are sharing steps on how to reduce threats of password hack.
- Ask employees to create strong passwords. A strong password is hard to crack – period. Long passwords, with at least 10 to 12 characters, uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters and numbers, are always safer. Make sure that passwords do not contain personal or business information in any form.
- Change default details. Default passwords and user details are easiest to crack, especially for experienced hackers. Once a product, such as IP cameras, is deployed, ensure that these details are changed.
- Recommend a password manager. Complicated passwords are obviously hard to remember, and your employees will eventually need a password management tool. Ensure that you recommend one that’s safe, has good reviews and can be trusted. Such tools will also encrypt passwords.
- Use the lock-out feature. In case someone tries to use invalid or wrong passwords to hack into a device or system for a few times, the account will get locked out for a day or two. The lock-out feature can be extremely handy to prevent brute force attacks.
- Use second layer of security. Multifactor authentication is often necessary, especially for privilege users and selected sensitive devices. A security question or use of biometrics ensures that password hacking doesn’t cause a breach.
Find ways to control access rights
Security breaches occur because many people within the organization have access to resources and applications that don’t matter for their work. For controlling access rights, using an Identity & Access Management suite is recommended. Ensure that access rights can be managed, revoked, updated, edited, and added in real time.
Final word
Password protection measures can go a long way in keeping hackers at bay. Get your employees trained on safe browsing and ask them to keep an eye on suspicious activities and emails. Not to forget, don’t grant access rights for sensitive devices and resources without due verification. If required, get external cybersecurity experts on-board.
