The Easiest Ways Not to Get Hacked

Your corporation feels greatly accomplished with its newly revamped IR website, and the social networks it has recently set up. Now wouldn’t it be a shame if those accounts get hacked? The Internet is the creation of a new public space, and we can never stress enough on the importance of online protection. Other than choosing a safe web-hosting server, there is no doubt that passwords matter. So, here are some handy tips and helpful reminders:

What’s a bad password? ‘Password’ is of course the worst! Careful not to fall into these traps:
–          Don’t use only letters or only numbers
–          Don’t use phone numbers, ID card numbers or birthdates
–          Don’t use the name of your company or department
–          Don’t use your company’s slogan or tagline

Just create a strong password! That’s what they always tell you, but how? Simple!
–          Make it at least eight characters in length and
–          Use a combination of upper & lower-case letters, numbers and symbols (if possible)
–          Try to make up a short passphrase (if the word limit allows you to)
–          Substitute letters for numbers (say, an ‘i’ with a ‘1’)

Change your password often. It is recommended to change passwords every 30-90 days!

Don’t use the same passwords. Of course, because that would mean if they hack one, they hack everything.

Take advantage of the two-step authentication process! Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are already using this secure entry. What happens is that, when you log in from a new electronic device, you’d receive temporary PIN via SMS text message. After you type in both your password and PIN, you can successfully log in.

Control what is public and visible. Logins generally use email addresses as usernames so, double check if your public profiles on Google+ or Facebook page reveal your login email address. It makes it a little more difficult for people to guess and hack If they don’t have the email address to begin with.

Whenever you can opt for email alert, do it. This is so that, if there are password changes without your permission, you get notified and be able to fix the problem immediately.

Authenticate with a simple voice passphrase. Yes, voice biometric technology now allows us to replace a password or PIN with a phrase spoken out loud. T-Mobile, Turkcell, and Foxtel are already currently using Nuance’s voice biometrics. It’ll be interesting to see this technology integrated into mobile apps, websites and call centers!

Have other tips or tools that you use to protect your online data? Share them here! @BlenderMedia


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The Blender Team

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