Do You Know Your Passwords? Part 1
Step 2.
KEY TAKEAWAY: I recommend using LastPass to help manage all of your passwords and keep your data secure.
I use LastPass (the free personal plan) and like it, which is why I recommend it. However, nothing can guarantee 100% security in the digital space. I encourage you to do your own research before deciding on a password management service.
When I first started helping small business owners with their websites and marketing, one of the biggest stumbling blocks I ran into was the owners didn’t know their passwords.
Importance of Knowing Your Stuff
So your website was set up ages ago and those emails from your web designer/developer are lost in your inbox. It can be time consuming to find and re-log into all of those accounts. Not only your website but any other account that is vital to your business that just opens when you are doing stuff on your computer.
For part one of this post I’m not going to go into the details of password security but to summarize there are 3 things minimum.
- Unique
- Frequent
- Secure
Password Basics
1. UNIQUE – It is tempting to use the same password for multiple sites or with only one or two differences but that is the biggest security risk. Once the hacker has access to one of your accounts they can suddenly access most of your accounts.
Best Practice: A unique password 8 – 12 digits in a combination of Letters, Numbers and Symbols for each account you log into. – BONUS TIP: A special word that is not easy to guess, that you can replace letters with numbers and symbols is typically better than a random generated password.
2. FREQUENT – If you can’t remember the last time you changed your Facebook password or your email password it’s time for a change. Changing your passwords on a regular basis ensures that if your data becomes compromised it won’t be for long.
Best Practice: Set up a reminder in your calendar to change your passwords every 3 – 6 months.
3. SECURE – Saving passwords on a document on your desktop or writing it down on a sticky note is common. However there are plenty of horror stories of passwords being compromised that way.
Best Practice: Have all of your passwords stored in an encrypted, secure location. I use the LastPass free personal plan.
Bonus Tip – Browser and device based password storage is not the most secure way to store your passwords!
Get Them Organized
Once you have a password management system setup don’t forget to put an organization process in place which will help you in the long run. You can download my free password organization outline for a quick start!
In part two of this post I discuss how to figure out your website passwords and provide some action steps to get started.
