For this reason, companies especially need to ensure that their digital assets are protected from the dangers of cyber attack.
Passwords are among the oldest - and simplest - methods of safekeeping online accounts, but according to VentureBeat, our strategies for managing these codes have not kept pace with our growing reliance on Web-based technologies to handle basic tasks, such as banking and searching for recipes.
More accounts means more risk
As more individuals turn to the Internet to simplify their lives, it's becoming increasingly essential that their accounts are protected. According to the VentureBeat, social media platforms often lead to the creation of additional communication services until eventually one person is responsible for several different personal accounts.While that alone should be enough to warrant a stronger focus on reinforcing good password habits, the news provider reported that as individuals bring these websites into the office, the integrity of the company's server is at risk.
Enterprises are going digital ... but are they protecting themselves?
In addition to consumer-driven social media platforms, businesses are beginning to utilize shared data sites that improve the collaborative functionality of the workplace. Although these online portals have the ability to provide remote access to information via cloud-based interfaces, there are risks associated with allowing multiple people to utilize the same accounts.For example, VentureBeat reported that employee turnover can lead to issues with data security unless decision-makers are consistently updating their account passwords. As was previously mentioned, cloud services enable individuals to access data from anywhere, with any device. Unless passcodes are updated, terminated employees are still able to log into company portals.
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In addition to shifts in staff, inadequate password management strategies can lead to an increase in hacking. The news provider noted that third-party sources are beginning to simplify multiple account maintenance by allowing popular platforms to sign individuals onto other websites.
For example, companies that utilize Google for a majority of their network services can streamline the sign-in process by enabling one account to provide access to other Web-based applications. This prevents users from having to create and manage multiple passwords, and it mitigates some of the risk created by inadequate employee code maintenance.
A big-time example made
Graham Cluley reported that the major cybercrime perpetrated against Adobe in early October could have been prevented if its employees were more password savvy. According to the source, approximately 38 million users were effected by the security breach, and although they all had passcodes, the company put itself at risk by neglecting to enforce creation guidelines for its staff.According to the source, more than two million Adobe employees chose 123456 as their password. Despite a complex ciphering program that encrypts users' codes, the software failed to account for multiple instances of the same combination of characters. This resulted in two million identical masked passwords. In just a few short hours, hackers were able to decode hundreds of employee accounts.
Although the issue has been resolved and Adobe has accounted for some of the common issues facing businesses that are mentioned above, the source reported that the damages done to the tech company could have been easily prevented. Password management best practices dictates that strong codes should be utilized, which include multiple characters with upper and lowercase letters and numbers.
As most organizations utilize passwords to manage their digital assets, it's important that employees are practicing safe browsing. Additionally, decision-makers should consider how password management software can diminish the risks of hacking by making it easier for users to store different, unique codes across multiple accounts.
Faizan Ahmad About the Author:
This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.