With data leaks and security breaches on the rise across the globe, it’s no surprise password requirements have become more strict for websites and apps alike.
Long gone are the days where you could get away with using your childhood best friend’s name to access your favorite sites. Easy to guess passwords put you at risk for your sensitive personal information being leaked. In an effort to make your user experience more secure, websites are now requiring certain criteria when creating an account password. Some criteria include requirements like having a set number of letters (some uppercase and some lowercase), numbers and even special symbols and characters.
Although well-meaning and intended to keep your account data secure, it can be challenging to keep up with a growing list of passwords – when there are so many different requirements. The different requirements often keep you from using the same password across multiple websites (which you should never do anyway), only adding to the overall confusion.
Some people have resorted to creating spreadsheets listing their passwords for various websites in applications like Microsoft Excel. However, doing so can prove dangerous. Listing sensitive information like bank account and credit card login details in spreadsheets make that information easily accessible to anyone who might gain access to your phone or computer. Should you lose your phone, many of those spreadsheets are easily accessible with just a couple of swipes.
Did you know there are ways to easily manage your growing list of passwords while also keeping them secure? Here at Triple Helix, we recommend using something called a Password Manager. Simply put, a Password Manager is a special software application designed specifically to store and manage online login credentials. Many browsers like Google have built-in Password Managers which are super convenient.
Of course, you can also invest in Password Manager software like 1Password or KeePass. Depending on how many users (people in your home) you need to be able to access the Password Manager, some levels of access are free. If multiple people will require access to the software, some programs have minimal fees associated with them. These software solutions are tried and true for keeping login credentials secure.
Need more information about how you can keep your personal data or business data secure? Reach out to our programmers at Triple Helix today and schedule a consultation. We’d be happy to review what security measures you have in place currently and what we can do to make sure your information is kept as secure as possible.
