This week I’m going to talk about keeping your Temecula or Murrieta Small Business network safe by having a strong password. Passwords are the most fundamental security tool of any modern operating system and the most commonly attacked feature.
Let’s talk about some Do’s and Don’t’s when you’re creating a password.
Don’ts of choosing a password:
- Don’t use a variation of your login name or full name, this will still be an easily guessed password.
- Don’t use a dictionary word, even if you add numbers or punctuation to it.
- Do not use any contiguous line of letters or numbers on the keyboard (such as “qwerty” or “asdfg”)
Do’s of choosing a password:
A good way to choose a strong password is to take the first letter from each word of an easily remembered sentence. Some examples are listed below:
Mrci7yo! = My rusty car is 7 years old!
2emBp1ib = Two elephants make BAD pets, 1 is better
ItMc?Gib = Is that MY coat? Give it back
If you are the System Admin of your network, follow these tips: (keep in mind, if you are the only user on your computer, then YOU are the System Admin for your computer)
- Change or for users to change passwords periodically
- Encrypt password files within your server or database
- Test your passwords with the same tools that crackers use such as a utility called “crack”
If you are going to provide Administrators remote access to your system, do not attempt to use administration tools that do not support encryption. A better policy employs the use of tools like SSH which allows remote access through a shell with a 128 bit encrypted connection.
Keep your firewall up to date! Security is becoming the most critical aspect of any network. Make sure your network is secure. Contact DCI and we can assess your network and tell you how secure (or unsecure) your important data is!
