5 reasons password protection is paramount

For many of us, not a day goes by that we aren’t logging into an account for various tasks, entertainment, or work. As such, we’ve all heard stories of failed password protection…the cousin who had their bank account emptied after their account was accessed or the friend who had their data stolen from a company-wide hack. 

Beyond the stories we share, recent statistics tell an even more compelling story in favor of strong passwords. Here’s how: according to recent studies, 81 percent of breaches at companies or organizations leveraged stolen or weak passwords (2020 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report) and one million passwords are stolen every week (2019 Breach Alarm). 

Although no password is uncrackable, increasing the complexity of the password can make the process more difficult and has proven an effective method for dissuading hackers, ultimately keeping your accounts and information protected. Check out these five tips to inform a more secure password strategy:

Tip 1: Length is the number one determinant for a secure password. 

Passwords are at their strongest when they are over 14 characters long. A good strategy to create a password is to select four or five unrelated words that are strung together by a special character; think along the lines of horse-blue-rain-earphones (but please don’t go using this exact password now!) Using words that are unrelated increases the complexity of the password so that hackers cannot as easily guess.