How To Supercharge Your Password Security – Part Two

Following on from his first instalment, Jamie Durham, founder of IT support firm Systemwork, continues sharing his top tips on how you can supercharge your password security.

Previously, he explained about the benefits of ‘the sentence method’, removing personalisation, and increasing the number of characters, but this month, he focuses on additional security measures and tools, alongside why you should never use the same password more than once…

6. Set up two-factor authentication (2FA)

When logging into your online profile, you have the option to set up another method of security – essentially, a second way to authorise access to your account when logging in.

This could be in the form of receiving an email code or a series of numbers via text message, or even a fingerprint or iris scan – depending on the options available. This means that if an unauthorised user tries to access your account, once you’re alerted on your mobile via 2FA, you’re able to change your password right away.

7. Don’t use the same password twice

One of the biggest faux pas when creating a secure password is to use the same one for every website. It only takes a hacker to uncover your password for your supermarket profile, and they then have access to your bank account, online shopping outlets, medical portals, and more.

Without being able to physically write down all your credentials in a book, it can be tricky to remember them all – especially when you’re only allowed to use them once – but it’s crucial to make each one unique, so that if any of them are compromised, it doesn’t impact your other accounts.

As human beings, if we change a password, it can be all too tempting to just slightly alter a couple of characters or add special symbol variations, but this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Remember, anywhere between 12 and 15 characters, and ensure the content is randomised.

8. Invest in a password manager

So, you know you need to make sure your passwords are complex, but how on earth do you recall them when they’re made up of a random assortment of numbers, letters, and symbols?

While the human brain is impressive, it’s certainly a lot to ask to recount hundreds of logins – and that’s where a password management tool can come to the rescue.

There are lots of different companies out there offering the service – such as LastPass – which essentially act like a secure ‘vault’ that stores all your sensitive credentials.

That means that once you land on a site for which you have a username and password saved in the vault, this will auto-populate, and you’ll never have to input another credential again. All you need to remember is the password to access the manager itself.