This week is Data Privacy Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about how to protect your data and information online. The risks associated with the collection, processing, and storage of personal data are increasing, both on an individual and corporate level.
Even today, most people are unsure how to respond when their rights are violated as a result of a data breach or leak. Keeper Security is sharing password best practices in order to keep accounts and data safe from threat actors. The goal is to educate consumers and businesses about privacy and to assist them in protecting themselves from the growing threat of data breaches.
Even when so-called passwordless options such as biometrics are used, the security of an individual's identity, data, and online accounts is heavily reliant on the strength of their passwords. Individuals must understand the difference between weak and strong passwords, especially since a breach could affect the organization for which they work, causing millions of dollars in damages. Data shows that stolen or weak passwords are responsible for 81% of hacking-related data breaches.
"Data Privacy Day provides an opportunity to elevate the critical importance of cybersecurity in all of our lives. The digital transformation shows no signs of slowing down, and with ever more connected devices from smartphones to smart fridges, we must all take concrete steps to protect ourselves," said Darren Guccione, CEO, and Co-founder at Keeper Security.
He further added, "it is imperative everyone utilize strong and unique passwords for all of their accounts and store those passwords in a secure, encrypted vault to reduce their risk of an attack. The existential reality is that anyone can become a victim of cybercrime."
Think before you share, open, or click
One critical step to online safety is to avoid sharing personal information with anyone unless absolutely necessary. Keep an eye out for links in emails from suspicious or unknown senders, and learn how to spot phishing attempts. Download attachments only when you are certain they are safe.
Because it is human nature to believe what we see, aesthetics and user interface frequently trick users into clicking on a malicious, incorrect URL. The important thing is to make sure the URL matches the authentic website. When a password manager is used, it detects when the URL of a site does not match what is in the user's vault. This is an essential tool for preventing the most common types of attacks, such as phishing scams.
Improve your password habits by doing the following:
- Do not use any easy-to-guess character combinations.
- Prevent using the same password for multiple accounts and incorporating any personal information.
- Keystroke patterns and short passwords should also be avoided.
- As a password, avoid using repeated letters or numbers.
- Use long combinations of letters, symbols, and numbers instead.
- Creating a memorable phrase called a passphrase by randomly replacing certain letters with numbers or symbols.
- Creating mnemonic passwords, for example, based on significant events.
Implementing a secure password manager is the best way for online users to secure their passwords. Individuals can use an effective password manager to generate random character combinations for their passwords and save them in a password vault. Users will no longer need to write them down or remember them, which makes them more vulnerable to breaches.
A password manager with zero trust and zero knowledge creates an even more secure environment for users to store their passwords. Even in the worst-case scenario of a breach, the stored data is encrypted in cypher text, which means it cannot be accessed or read by a human or machine.
