Take a look at your calendar. You most likely have reminders for important events like tax deadlines, business events, and anniversaries. Your schedule is filled with reminders to keep your business on track, and it’s time to add an event to update your passwords.
As we get closer to 2025, reviewing your digital security measures should be part of your end-of-year tasks. Let’s take a look into why regularly updating your passwords is so important and how often you should change them.
Creating Strong Passwords is Your First Defense Against Cyber Attacks
A data breach is one of the biggest threats to a business’s online information. Unfortunately, many people don’t think it will happen to them until it actually does.
Strong passwords are the first defense against unsecured access to sensitive business and customer information. Websites and social media accounts are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks and hold sensitive information you don’t want in the wrong hands.
Human hackers aren’t the only online threat anymore. Bots can send multiple attacks simultaneously and often hack weak passwords in seconds. Even if you don’t click on a spammy link or notice suspicious activity, your website or accounts could experience cyber attacks every single day.
How Often You Should Update Your Passwords
How often you update your passwords depends on their strength and uniqueness. When you search this question online, you’ll see a good rule of thumb is to update your passwords every three months. However, this isn’t always necessary or realistic. Accounts with long, strong passwords unique to their service don’t need to be updated as often because they’re created to be difficult to crack.
If your passwords fall within the weak to medium categories, more frequent updates add an extra layer of security (although you really shouldn’t be using any weak passwords). Strong passwords should be changed at least once a year. We know your schedule gets busy, and it’s easy to forget the last time you updated them, so we recommend setting a calendar alert.
Certain circumstances require immediate password changes. These include:
- After noticing suspicious activity on an account
- If a device containing sensitive logins is lost or stolen
- Following a report of a security breach from a service you use
- After sharing passwords with someone and the relationship with that individual has changed or ended
- If you accidentally enter your password into a phishing website
- When a coworker or employee who had access to passwords leaves the company
- After using the same password on multiple sites, and one of those sites is compromised
- If you’ve been reusing a password that hasn’t been changed in a long time
- When you realize your current password is too simple or has been used widely
- After entering personal information while using public WiFi (avoid entering any personal information while connected to public WiFi unless you know for sure you can trust the network)
While you should update your password for any profile with sensitive information, some accounts should take priority. Regularly update login information for your email account, website, banking account, healthcare profile, and social media accounts. Your email account alone could provide access to multiple other accounts linked to that email.
Tips for Creating Strong Passwords
Don’t overthink the logistics of creating strong passwords. Many websites will show password strength as you type it into the box. To help you further, we’ve put together a list of tips for maximum security.
1. Use a mix of characters.
Your password should include a combination of letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and symbols. Character variety makes it harder for automated programs to crack your password.
2. Make it lengthy.
Longer passwords are generally more secure than shorter ones. Create them at least 12 characters long.
3. Don’t Use Personal Information.
Names, birthdays, and easy-to-find details make weak passwords. Hackers can easily find or guess this information.
4. Avoid common words and phrases.
Simple passwords or common words, such as “password” or “123456,” are easily guessed. Avoid any obvious patterns.
5. Consider using a passphrase.
A passphrase is a sequence of random words or a sentence. Many people find remembering a custom passphrase over passwords with random characters easier. An example of a passphrase password is H0tCheet0s&P!zz@.
6. Create an acronym.
Use an acronym for custom quotes or phrases you can remember about your life. For example, “I like to go fishing with John at the lake on Sundays!” becomes Il2gfwJ@tloS!
7. Use different passwords for different accounts.
If a hacker gains access to one of your passwords, you don’t want them to have the keys to all your accounts. Make sure each account has a unique password.
8. Take advantage of password managers.
It was hard enough trying to remember passwords when they all used some variation of your dog’s name, let alone trying to remember a different, long, and complex password for each of your accounts. Using a reliable password manager can help you keep track of your passwords securely.
For businesses with multiple accounts and employees accessing those accounts, Vervocity offers secure password management systems. You can manage employee profiles and account passwords from a single dashboard without worrying about storing important information in fifty different places.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Add changing your passwords to your quarterly to-do list so it becomes part of your operational routine. Don’t wait until your data is compromised. It’s better to be safe than sorry when protecting your business from potential cyber threats.
At Vervocity, we provide secure password management systems and reliable website security, and we’ve got your back when it comes to social media management safety, too. Let’s work together to keep your information secure. Contact us or call (217) 222-1451 to get started for the new year!
