This year’s annual Data Privacy Day falls on January 28th. Each year, the day provides an opportunity to educate consumers and organisations alike on the importance of privacy and staying safe online. Since the awareness around data privacy is still somewhat lacking, we’ve come up with a piece that you can share with your less tech-savvy friends and family members. Staying secure online and protecting sensitive information is something that everyone should know how to do, not just IT professionals, which is why Keeper Security is sharing some of our top tips on how to do so.
Despite the fact that data is growing in value and being used more frequently by organisations, there still isn’t enough awareness around the many risks that come with the collecting and handling of it. Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-founder of Keeper Security, has offered up some tips to best secure your online accounts and stay safe on the internet.
So, how can consumers protect themselves?
Improving your password habits:
- Do not use any combination of characters that is easy to guess.
- Avoid using the same password across multiple accounts as well as including any personal information.
- Recognisable keystroke patterns or short passwords should also be avoided.
- Don’t use repeated letters or numbers as a password.
- Instead, use lengthy combinations of letters, symbols and numbers.
- Create a memorable phrase called a passphrase, replacing certain letters with numbers or symbols in a random order.
- Create mnemonic passwords, inspired by notable events for example.
Thinking before you click:
The biggest way to stay safe is to not share personal information online. Be wary of anyone you meet on the internet looking for specific details about your personal life. Also, don’t click on links or download attachments from emails that you are uncertain of. Always be sure to check the subject line as well as the sender email, and fact check the content before you proceed. Most importantly, though, is to secure your passwords and always make sure to use unique and strong passwords for every online account and application. For additional security, use a password manager to simplify the creation and maintenance of strong passwords.
What is a password manager?
In order to adequately protect your data online, it’s vital to secure your accounts. Seems easy enough, however many online users forget the number of accounts they own. With each account they have to (or should) have unique, strong passwords. Now, how easy is it to remember each and every individual password for all your online accounts?
Most people would say it’s not.
This is where a password manager comes in. It can not only safely store all existing passwords, but can also help users come up with new, strong passwords. They’re an excellent security solution that can be accessed from anywhere, be it your computer or your mobile devices. All data will be stored and protected from unauthorised threat-actors trying to steal credentials.
Adopting a password manager
A password manager allows you to store and protect your passwords with encryption and zero-knowledge security. This means that even if there were to be a breach, the threat-actor wouldn’t be able to access the passwords or steal them. Having a password manager also saves individuals the pain of having to remember all their passwords – instead, they can simply go on a website and it will fill their credentials in automatically.
Most password managers are supported by popular platforms like Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android. As such, it makes managing accounts much easier, taking the stress out of remembering and creating complex passwords to secure important accounts and sensitive data.
