Password Security Management Tips
Password security has been much in the news lately and organizations are rapidly waking up to the security vulnerabilities that can result from weak password management.
Here are some practical steps organizations can take RIGHT NOW to improve password management:
1. Be Proactive about Access Management. Office administrators must ensure these passwords are used to grant access securely. A system where an administrator can instantly grant access for an account to multiple applications is good for productivity. But if administrators can instantly de-provision account access for employees that are leaving the company, that’s a huge benefit for security.
2. Ensure passwords are created with security in mind. Passwords must be easy for people to remember but unique enough that they cannot easily be guessed by co-workers or associates. Advise your colleagues to use passwords that include a mix of upper and lower case letters and numbers. Phrases rather than single words can also make excellent passwords. If you are an administrator, create a consistent set of password creation rules and enforce them.
3. Authentication is important. Forgotten passwords are a huge source of security vulnerability. When your colleagues forget their passwords, they need to be able to re-set their passwords using authentication questions that could not be easily guessed by associates. For instance, “What high school did you go to?” is not a secure question in an era of Facebook and MySpace. A question developed by each individual such as “What is the phrase the short character asked during the dramatic scene of the funny movie?” could be better, and easy for that person to remember.
PCIS security offerings from our Passpro brand include Passpro, a secure password management offering. Read Password Management With Passpro
Contact us at (604)844.7558 or info@pcis.com for more information about password management solutions.
Boonbox is a division of Pacific Coast Information Systems Ltd., specializing in products for web security, network security, password management and data backup.
PCIS is a Vancouver-based company which provides strategic consulting, application development, technology solutions and managed services to companies and government organizations throughout North America.
