As we’ve discussed before, it is vital to your cyber security that your employees use strong passwords instead of weak ones. Yet selecting a strong password is only one part of keeping your digital assets safe. If your staff are guilty of using the same credentials across websites, a hacker who figures out someone’s password could easily gain access to valuable enterprise data. Learn easy ways to manage your online passwords that will help keep your data safe.

Why You Need Better Password Management

Your password is the key to your online account. Yet many of us reuse the same password (or variations on that password) across accounts, because we have too many login credentials to keep track of everything. If a hacker gains access to your credit card login, he may try the same username and password on other accounts, gaining access to everything from your Amazon account to your corporate intranet.

There have been so many high-profile data breaches in North America in the last several years. Companies have lost their reputation, time, and money managing these threats. Responding to an attack is highly stressful, and this can have long-lasting consequences for staff.

The good news is, there are easy techniques that you can use to manage your passwords across sites so you don’t have to.

How Password Managers Protect You

Password managers (a popular free option being LastPass) automatically generate strong alphanumeric passwords for you, remember them so you don’t have to, and keep track of them. These passwords are then encrypted for security and stored offsite. Even if the server where your passwords are stored is hacked, the hackers will need to decrypt the passwords first.
With a password manager, you can ensure that every site you visit receives a unique password. Even if one of your access credentials were breached, a hacker could not use the data to log into any other account, dramatically reducing your risk.

You can even sync your credentials across devices. Log into a site on your desktop computer and you can use the same credentials on your tablet or laptop. A good password manager will send a notification if a site you use is hacked, so you can protect yourself by changing the password.
Some password managers allow you to share passwords with emergency contacts. This can be highly useful for teams, which may need access to an individual’s information for the business continuity purposes.

All you need to do is set and remember a strong master password for the password manager, and you’ll be safe from threats of data breaches now and in the future.
Teams will enjoy the simplicity of password managers, and the convenience of never having to remember a password again. All employees will enjoy the improved cyber security that comes with adopting best practices for data security, including password management.

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