• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Network Security

Five Security Tips for Password Effectiveness

Simple guidelines for maximum data protection and privacy control.

December 4, 2011 TD Staff Leave a Comment

Every organization relies on passwords to keep their data safe, but many organizations neglect to enforce their own rules for keeping those passwords secure. Here are five tips for ensuring the highest levels of password effectiveness.

  1. Keep ‘em Guessing — Never use personal information such as names of pets, relatives, dates of birth and so on to create a username, login, or password. In this day and age where personal information is often finding its way onto the Web and identity theft experts have become ever-savvier at ferreting out these details, it is crucial to choose usernames and passwords that are disassociated from your personal history. Does it make it harder to remember? Yes, but you’ll be thankful when you’re spared the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars it often costs to fix a stolen identity.
  2. Keep it Fresh — Avoid using the same login and password across multiple sites and/or cards and accounts. If a thief gains access to one, it will be like a house of cards, enabling them to quickly wreak havoc across your entire portfolio. Are you the type of person who says, “I never share my pin?” It’s amazing how often those “unshared” digits are misused by a jilted lover or a nosy housecleaner.
  3. Bigger Is Better — Cliché but true. Studies have consistently shown that a large fraction of all user-chosen passwords are readily guessed automatically. Shorter passwords are more susceptible to commercially available password recovery tools. Such software is capable of testing 200,000 passwords per second. To improve the cipher strength of your password, longer passwords are better. Include a minimum of eight characters, using both upper and lower case letters and a mix of letters, numerals, and symbols. Do not use words found in the English dictionary.
  4. Think Like a Thief — Put yourself into a thief’s shoes — don’t even think about using an overly simplified password such as “12345678,” “222222” or “abcdefg.” Avoid sequential passwords or using passwords derived from adjacent letters on your keyboard. Also avoid using only look-alike substitutions of numbers or symbols. Criminals and other malicious users who know enough to attempt to crack your password will not be fooled by common look-alike replacements, such as replacing an ‘I’ with a ‘1’ or an ‘a’ with ‘@’ as in “P@ssw0rd.” But these substitutions can be effective when combined with other measures — such as length, misspellings or variations in case — to improve the strength of your password.
  5. Consider a Password Manager — There are many good applications on the market that will digitally safeguard your various passwords. Avoid using the free ones built in to browsers, however, as these have been widely exposed for their security flaws. Instead use a password manager that memorizes, encrypts, and protects each username and password that you enter on a website. Whenever you return to that site, the software should also automatically complete your login information.

NICK FORCIER is CEO of San Diego-based Large Software.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Corporate, Data Security, Policy, Privacy

Related Content:

  • Cybersecurity and information or network protection. Future technology web services for business and internet project CrowdStrike Cyber Armageddon: How Do Firms Now Build…
  • DDoS, NETSCOUT Arbor Insight 7 Layers of DDoS Attacks and How To…
  • cisco webex-rooms-modern-space AVI-SPL Receives Cisco 2023 Reimagine Workspaces Partner of…
  • data breach Nearly 900 Schools Impacted by National Student Clearinghouse…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Download TechDecisions' Blueprint Series report on Security Awareness now!Blueprint Series: Why Your Security Awareness Program is Probably Falling Short

    Learn about the evolution of phishing attacks and best practices for security awareness programs to ensure your organization is properly prepared to defend against them in this report from TechDecisions' Blueprint Series.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.