ESET: The dangers that lurk in the virtual world of the Internet are often not perceived by some users, who have grown up in the age when there was no Internet and Social Networks, unlike the new generations who are growing up in the digital age and are more suspicious.
Wanting to help unsuspecting users, Ondrej Kubovic, IT Security Specialist by ESET, offers some basic rules for secure passwords.
Let's look at what ESET suggests:
- Create a unique password for each account and do not share it with anyone.
- The rule of thumb is - the bigger the password, the more secure it is. Start with at least 8 characters, but extend the password if it is used to protect valuable data or accounts. If you have trouble remembering a complex password, you can also choose a password or use a password manager (discussed below)
- Avoid common words, names, dates, numbers or obvious options such as 12345678, password or qwerty.
- Προσθέστε ένα ψηφιακό κομeye, όπως αριθμούς και ειδικούς χαρακτήρες (@, #,!, κλπ), ή χρησιμοποιήστε τα αντικαθιστώντας κάποια από τα γράμματα στον κωδικό πρόσβασής σας.
- If you choose to replace, try not to use the usual "misspellings", such as replacing "a" with "@" or "i" with "1" or "!".
- Change your passwords regularly. And here it is true that the more importantly the data being protected, the sooner the codes have to be changed.
- One of the most important rules is not to use the same password again in other accounts. In this way, if stolen, only one account is in danger, and it is worth mentioning it even if we repeat it.
In theory, it may sound simple enough, but reality is more complex.
According to ESET, multiple studies have shown that the average user has dozens of passwords for an even larger number of accounts, which makes it difficult to manage them. However, there are strategies to stay safe by facilitating the process.
The first thing that can help is passwords, or passphrases, which, although larger than passwords, are easier to remember.
Another way is to use a trusted password manager, which stores all the passwords in one place, and the only thing the user needs to remember is one that will allow him to unlock the application.
