By Tyler Jefford - Director of Programming at Xapsis Integrated Marketing
Cyber security attacks are on the rise everyday. When you are storing more and more information on the web and in digital format, you are increasing your chances of having your data being breached. Here are a few no-brainer tips to help you protect your digital data.
Change Your Password...Often
When you log in to a service, like Facebook, you have a basic email - password combination. This creates a session key, and in some cases a data cookie that keeps you logged in to the website as long as you don’t explicitly log out. This is the ease of use factor that most services offer. But when you neglect to change your password, the damage to your data and information can be catastrophic.
When you take in to consideration, programs that are built to specifically guess a password, if you aren’t changing your password every 30 to 45 days, you are increasing your chances of letting intruders take control of your accounts. Simply changing your password from “home1” to “home2” isn’t exactly the change I was referring to. Setting an all new password, separate from one you have used before will ensure the most secure connection to that service.
Keep them separated
So you have an account at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Gmail, yahoo, etc. and you are using the same password across the board? Stop it! That is possibly the worst thing you can do besides having your password set as “password”. Take a minute to ponder if somehow your Pinterest account was compromised, now the intruders have access to all of your accounts using the same exact password over and over again. It is important to keep in mind as we get more intertwined with the web and digital life, that using good security is a crucial process that must be taken seriously.
Anatomy of a good password
Its annoying I know, when you are signing up for a new service and they require your password to have at least 1 upper case letter, 1 number and 1 special charter. However, this is to increase your security.
Conclusion
Are you taking the right steps in protecting your digital information? With these simple steps, you can decrease the chances of being stuck in the middle of a battle for your own personal data. Don’t get caught up in a messy intrusion, take action today, to protect for tomorrow.
