Authentication
Strengthen your authentication procedures to ensure only your employees can gain access to your business’s systems and data.
Quick tips
Passwords are used to protect access to sensitive business-related systems and data.
As a business owner, you have to account for the fact that your employees may be using weak passwords, reusing passwords, or sharing them with others.
Here are some tips your employees can follow to create and manage their passwords.
Common words
Avoid using common words for your password, such as "password.
Names
Avoid using easy-to-guess personal names, such as the first names of pets or family members.
Visibility
Make sure that no one is around you when entering your passwords.
Reusing passwords
Do not reuse the same password across multiple systems or accounts. This way, if one account is compromised, your other accounts won’t be at risk.
Confidentiality
Avoid writing down passwords and posting them in places where others can easily copy them. Never share your passwords with anyone else, including your family or other employees.
Simple sequences
Avoid using simple sequences of numbers and/or letters, such as “12345” or “qwerty."
Length
Avoid using short passwords. Create passwords that are at least 14 characters in length.
Logging off
Always log off your device or account if you leave your devices while anyone else is nearby.
Combination
Create strong passwords by combining:
- Uppercase letters
- Lowercase letters
- Numbers
- Special characters, such as ! $ # %
Create a strong password
The strongest and most reliable form of password your employees should use is called a passphrase.
A passphrase is created when you take a sentence (phrase) and convert it to a password using a combination of different letters, capitalization, and special characters.
Let’s take a look at how your employees can create strong passphrases.
How to create a passphrase
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Step 1
Create a phrase
Come up with a phrase that’s personal to you and easy to remember.
For example: I want to create a strong passphrase for my business.
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Step 2
Take the first letter of each word
Take the first letter of each or some words in your phrase and combine them.
Step 1 passphrase: I want to create a strong passphrase for my business
Step 2 passphrase: iwtcaspfmb -
Step 3
Use uppercase and lowercase letters
Take your passphrase and start mixing uppercase and lowercase letters.
Step 2 passphrase: iwtcaspfmb
Step 3 passphrase: IwtCaSPfmB -
Step 4
Substitute special characters
Replace some of the letters with special characters or add special characters and numbers to the existing letters.
Step 3 passphrase: IwtCaSPfmB
Finished passphrase: *!wtC@$PfmB1!*
That's it!
With these 4 easy steps, you can create a strong and secure password using the passphrase technique.
Multi-factor authentication
Consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) into your business for an added layer of security.
Guide for passphrases
Remember, it’s important that you play an active role in educating your employees on how to create and safeguard their passwords.
To better assist you, we’ve created a guide for your employees to reference to better create and secure their passwords.
How to create a passphrase
Using the passphrase technique to create and remember strong, unique passwords. | pdf : 113
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