It’s the first Thursday in May, which means...
Happy World Password Day 2020!
The Daylight Savings Time adjustments in the spring and fall act as helpful prompts to swap out the batteries in our smoke alarms, keeping our lives and property safer. World Password Day is our handy annual reminder to update and strengthen our passwords.
Passwords are unfortunately often leaked or stolen in data breaches and traded on the Dark Web. By continuing to use (and worse, re-use!) our weak, outdated passwords, we put our accounts and identities at risk.
A recent study in the United States by Clario and OnePoll found that
More than three-quarters of millennials use the same password for more than ten different devices, apps and accounts, and some have even admitted to using the same password more than 50 different places [and] 44% use risky features like password autofill.
In the spirit of good cybersecurity hygiene, follow these tips as you celebrate the day the smart way:
Use at least 10 characters including lowercase and uppercase letters, numerals, and special characters
Use passphrases instead of passwords
Avoid reusing passwords and usernames
Enable two-factor (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible
Store your password list in a password manager such as LastPass
Safe surfing!