The Need For Strong Passwords

This photo shows a lady working in from on 2 screens to depict someone working with computers and who is likely to have several passwords they use every day.

Strong passwords are more important than ever before.

With hackers and cybercriminals constantly looking for ways to gain unauthorised access to accounts, it’s crucial that you take steps to protect your personal and confidential information. In this blog post, we’ll explain what strong passwords are, why they are important, and how to best manage them.

What Are Strong Passwords?

A strong password is a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters that make it difficult for hackers to guess. The longer the password, the more difficult it is to crack. A strong password should be at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Why are Strong Passwords Important?

Strong passwords are essential for protecting your personal and confidential information from unauthorised access.

Weak passwords can be easily guessed or hacked, allowing cybercriminals to steal your personal information, such as bank account details, social security numbers, and other sensitive data.

Strong passwords help to protect you from identity theft, financial fraud, and other types of cybercrime.

They should be a minimum of 12 characters, include upper and lower case letters, digits and special characters.

How to Best Manage Strong Passwords

Creating strong passwords is just the first step in protecting your accounts. You also need to manage them properly to ensure that they remain secure. Here are some best practices for managing your passwords:

1. Use a password manager.

A password manager is a software application that securely stores and manages your passwords. It can generate strong passwords for you and automatically fill them in when you log in to your accounts. This makes it easier to use strong passwords and reduces the risk of forgetting them.

2. Don’t reuse passwords.

It’s important to use a different password for each account you have. If a hacker gains access to one of your passwords, they could use it to gain access to your other accounts as well. Using a different password for each account helps to limit the damage if one of your passwords is compromised.

3. Use two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring a second form of authentication, such as a code sent to your phone or an authentication app. This makes it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your accounts, even if they have your password.

Protect Yourself With Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are an essential part of protecting personal and confidential information from cybercriminals. By creating strong passwords and managing them properly, you can help to keep your accounts secure and protect yourself from identity theft and other types of cybercrime.

Laetitia has worked in the Financial Industry for over 20 years. Her drive to understand the risks inherent in a business, together with finding practical ways to mitigate the risks deemed too great, lead to the creation of Gatheroo.

By applying her knowledge gained from major banks in Australian and the UK, SMEs across the globe have benefited by discussing and applying low hanging solutions to potentially large issues.

"I love working with professional service providers to help them grow and prosper by identifying and minimising risks, boosting productivity, and fostering an environment where both individuals and teams thrive"