Passwords – perhaps the most fundamental, and often most vulnerable, element of IT and internet security. In 2019, a study by Breach Alarm showed that over one million passwords are stolen every week, and a 2020 report by Verizon showed that, in 81% of breaches, companies and other organizations used stolen or weak passwords to make entries.
Luckily, straightforward solutions are available – lengthening and diversifying your passwords and making sure to not use the same one twice for any given account or program.
Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, noted Tim Bucher, founder and president of full-service IT and network security solutions provider Bucher Technologies (BucherTech).
“You’d have to write them all down or try and remember some kind of system in your head,” he said. “You definitely can’t use just one for everything, because then it’d be a disaster if you were hacked.”
To solve this problem, Bucher encourages organizations (and individuals) to use password managers, which are programs that generate and remember unique passwords for all of your accounts.
“Why use brainpower to remember your passwords when you can simplify things with a password manager,” he said. “You don’t need to memorize this password and that password.”
Password managers are available both on PCs and as mobile apps, allowing for flexibility and an additional layer of security.
“You just have the password manager create the password,” Bucher said. “You don’t need to fumble around thinking of your uncle’s birthday, your sister’s graduation location, or whatever other convoluted solution you have in your head. It’ll generate a bunch of numbers, letters, and symbols for you and remember it.”
Even with a password manager, passwords might sometimes be breached, leading to disaster if that is you or your business’ only layer of security. Limiting that possibility is as simple as implementing multi-factor authorization, also known as two-factor authentication (2FA). This system works by sending you a code that you need to enter each time you log in in addition to your password.
“What 2FA does is give you exponentially more security,” Bucher said. “If a password is all you have, it really limits how you can secure a system. 2FA takes us so far beyond that because it’s not about what you know, it’s about what you have. If you don’t have the information it generates, you’re not getting in.”
There is a wide variety of 2FA systems, with many websites and programs implementing their own solutions, often through email or text messages – though Bucher advises against using email options.
“I don’t like 2FA via email,” he said. “That’s because email accounts get hacked.”
Instead, he encourages the use of authenticator apps wherever offered – where the website or system you want to access sends a unique timed code to a mobile app. A number of free options are available, such as Duo, Google Authenticator, or LastPass which combines 2FA and password management.
“Authenticator codes change every 30 seconds on your app,” Bucher said. “Unless someone has your phone and knows the password to your phone, they aren’t getting in. It’s not just double or triple the security for your system, it’s quantum improvement.”
To learn more about BucherTech and its IT solutions, visit buchertech.com.
