Password Management – How Strong is Your Password?

Many companies have established a policy for requiring scheduled password changes.B It was thought to increase network security.B But, it might be time to re-think that policy.

I have so many passwords that I need to remember that I created a spreadsheet so that I could access them when I needed them.B While there really is no way around this for many of us, it also creates a point of weakness in security.B If this spreadsheet were to fall into benemy handsb, it could be disastrous.

Now, I have bcloakedb many of my passwords on the spreadsheet.B For example, if the password is the one I normally use, the cell reads bgbs normalb.B There are several passwords that I have used for different purposes that I reference in this manner.B A system that my assistant needs to access gets a different bstandardb password than a system that I want to limit for my access only.

So, I found it interesting recently when an article addressed this issue b pointing out something Ibve been concerned about for years.B When you require regular password changes, employees (or even myself for that matter) are forced to write it down somewhere.B You may have even seen a sticky note with the employeesb bstrongb password stuck to a computer monitor so it wonbt be forgotten.B Unfortunately, that amounts to a gaping hole in security.

That leaves you with a couple of options.

1. Create difficult passwords that are easy to remember.B One way to do this is to create a random phrase and use the first letter of every word along with symbols and numbers for btricksb.
2. Use a Password Management Solution (PMS) like KeePass or AnyPassword.B All your passwords will be kept secure and you only need to remember one b that gets you access to the PMS.

What would I like to leave you with?B Since we have so many places that we login to regularly that are targets of hackers b think Google or social media b it really is necessary to have a different password that you use for systems where a high degree of security is necessary.B This issue is not going away so donbt put it off until a security breach sends you into a tailspin.