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Are we too lazy to be trusted with passwords?

We may know what makes a safer password, but how many of us actually adopt these methods in practice? Perhaps the answer to better security lies in one-time passwords.
 
 

Last month, network security specialists Tekdata claimed that "humans are too lazy" for passwords and maybe they have a point.

The need has never been greater to keep our systems secure but many still ignore sound advice to adopt complex passwords. Hardly a day goes by without reports of hackers releasing details gained from compromising some server's security.

 SMEs bury their heads in the sand

Whilst some SMEs prefer to bury their heads in the sand, others appear blissfully ignorant, believing these criminals pose no real threat to small companies. But no one can afford to be lackadaisical when it comes to security. As Tekdata remarked: "One thing's for sure. These guys aren't doing it for laughs."
 

What is clear is that security policies need to be implemented and enforced from the top down. Employees may have been told they need to use a unique complex password for each of their online accounts. But how many of them actually do this and does your business always follow this policy through with regular checks?

Employees may have been told they need to use a unique complex password for each of their online accounts. But how many of them actually do this?


A journey into your confidential systems

It is also in the interests of every employer to encourage staff to use appropriate security with personal Internet accounts. Should a hacker get his hands on one of your employee's personal email details, this could mark the beginning of a simple journey into your company's most confidential systems.

If your employee is using the same password for various accounts, it requires no real stretch of the imagination for hackers to target Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account, from which they could quite easily find out who their employer is. Once they have established your email naming policy (e.g. FredB@yourcompany.co.uk) they'll soon have access to your systems via webmail.

 Are one-time passwords the answer?

Maybe you're worried about the chaos that could result from forcing your employees to use unique secure passwords for every online account - after all, dozens of hastily scrawled passwords on post-it notes stuck to PC monitors up and down the office may just serve to make the situation worse. So why not drop static passwords altogether?

Instead, a one-time password solution might hold the answer. With a wide range of products on the market, password security could be increased with the same kind of device that many of your employees already use to access their personal bank accounts.

One-time passwords can be implemented through the use of DigiPass tokens, or even delivered to your phone by SMS ensuring. If you would like to discuss these options, call us on the number below and speak to one of our consultants.
 

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Delta Comtech Ltd
Artillery House, Heapy Street
Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 7JB

Tel: 0870 2200567
 info@delta-comtech.co.uk