Let’s face it, passwords are a pain. As we’ve been pushed towards using longer and ever more complex passwords, and told to update them with increasing frequency, password management has become something of a headache. We’ve gone from simple, easy to remember passwords to 12- or 16-character passwords that must contain a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
Risk Based Security released their 2020 Mid Year Data Breach QuickView Report, revealing that although the number of publicly reported data breaches stands at its lowest in five years, the number of records exposed is more than four times higher than any previously reported time period.
According to the 2020 Thales Access Management Index – U.S. and Brazil Edition1– four out of ten IT security professionals still see usernames and passwords as one of the most effective means to protect access to their IT infrastructure, even though most hacking-related breaches are a result of weak, stolen or reused user credentials.
The best way to protect accounts and data from credential stuffing and online phishing attacks is to stop reusing the same passwords on multiple accounts. All accounts—but especially accounts related to work, retail, finance, and government—should be protected with strong, unique passwords. What are a few best practices to ensure employees are safer online?
Data from a new LastPass survey shows that 91% of people know that using the same password on multiple accounts is a security risk, yet 66% continue to use the same password anyway.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have released a joint advisory that highlights ongoing activity by APT groups against organizations involved in both national and international COVID-19 responses.
