Your first line of defence is You!
I know we I.T. people nag incessantly about passwords but in these days of email communication, social media and online file storage, often the only thing standing between you and a voyeur (or worse) is the strength of your password.
So – here’s a list of 10 deadly sins that I’ve come across – I’m sure none of you have ever done any of these but here they are as a reminder of what not to do.
Writing your password on a post-it note stuck to your computer
Sticking it on a scrap of paper on the underside of your desk
Using “Password”, “123456”, “qwerty”, “letmein”
Using a simple password but with 0 or 3 in place of an O or an E. (Yup – hackers have caught on to that one)
Using a dog’s or child’s name
Telling a co-worker your password
Telling someone in the IT department your password (they shouldn’t ask)
Password is the same as your username with a 1 at the end
Changing your password that has a 1 at the end to the same with a 2 at the end
Never or rarely changing your password
I’m happy to hear confessions! It’s not easy though – you’re busy and the passwords you are often given are stupidly complicated. So what can you do? Well there’s lots you can do – try the following for a start.
How about using the initial letters of a phrase that means something to you – for instance: MyDgHs16Fl (My dog has 16 fleas)
Set a good example in your office or family by changing your password and standing firm on not sharing it. There are ways of sharing information without sharing your passwords. It might take a little bit of setting up but it’s much safer that exposing everything. Ask me if you’d like to do this but not sure how.
Set your screen-saver to need a password when you come back to your PC after making the coffee.
If you think your laptop is safe, ask a teenager to try to hack it – you may be in for an unpleasant surprise – my friend’s 14 year old once confided in me that he knew the child safe password but I wasn’t to tell his mum as she would change it if she knew! I didn’t tell on him but I persuaded the friend to change the password anyway. Go to Get Safe Online for more info.
Or download the infographic (above) from the National Cyber Security Centre: It’s a big bad world out there – do what you can to keep safe.
For help with this or with any IT issues please contact me– I just luuuurve talking about computing, but don’t trust me to keep any secrets from your Mum.
Blog Author | Mandy Sutton – Purple Mouse IT
