{"id":57779,"date":"2023-04-17T14:23:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T22:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/?p=57779"},"modified":"2023-04-17T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T22:55:11","slug":"how-to-improve-password-security-for-legal-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/how-to-improve-password-security-for-legal-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve Password Security for Legal Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

-by Claudia F. Investigative Assistant for Keystone Investigative Services, Inc.<\/p>\n

As every year goes by, more and more online scams continue to increase, with hackers looking to steal your information by hacking into your accounts online. Taking the time to change and strengthen your online passwords frequently will help decrease the chance of cyber criminals getting into your personal information. For legal professionals ensuring their passwords are well protected helps protect their client\u2019s confidential data that is handled and stored. Not only is it essential to make sure you strengthen your passwords, but it is also pertinent to ensure that all your passwords are kept in a safe place. If passwords aren’t adequately secured, they can fall into the wrong hands and your personal data is at risk of being compromised. Here are some essential steps to enhance and protect your passwords from being left vulnerable:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Create a secure and strong passphrase not password<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Common password choice for people always seen to be something a user can easily remember that isn\u2019t too long or simply having the same password for multiple accounts online. Often times when choosing a password that is easy to remember, such as your favorite food, color, animal, phone number, 1234, or even the word password, can open the gate for cybercriminals to hack into your personal accounts. Never choose a password that connects to anything shared online via any of your social media pages, especially if your pages are public. Examples would be your city of birth, pet\u2019s name, date of birth, favorite vacation spot, and so forth. Once your information is on social media, one may never know who is looking up your information. When creating a strong password, you must ensure it is 16 characters or more. Having a password that is either 16 characters or more is a long one, but in the long run, it will help not have an easy password cyber criminals can’t guess. In creating your password, you want to ensure it includes a mixture of letters, numbers, and various characters. Often hackers can instantaneously crack a password, whereas someone trying to crack a passphrase makes it much more difficult for them to guess. A unique passphrase must protect everyone, including your clients’ personal information so it\u2019s safely secured. Passwords have similar characteristics to passphrases; however, passphrases are a stronger, different type of password that consists of more than one word. Passphrases are more secure enhancing the security of your online accounts.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Use two-factor\/multi-factor authentication<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      When accessing accounts containing private and sensitive information, it can be quite pivotal to have either two-factor or multi-factor authentication in place, adding another level of security to your accounts. When using two-factor authentication, the first factor would be using your password, followed by the second factor, which typically includes a text message with various codes prompting you to keep those codes safe. On the other hand, when multi-factor authentications come into play, the layered approach consists of three factors for triple-level security: a password or pin, a smartphone, and fingerprints or voice recognition. Having two-factor authentication enabled for your accounts can make it harder for your personal information to be compromised because it adds another level of protection to your passwords. Without having that secondary safety measure in place, it makes your standalone password vulnerable.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Change Your Password Regularly <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Changing your passwords helps ensure your account’s safety. Now, if you feel that your accounts have already been compromised, it is best to change your password immediately before you get locked out of your accounts for good, making it even harder for you to access them. You will also want to change your password if your password has been compromised in a data breach. You must change your password routinely even if you feel like your accounts haven’t been compromised. It is often recommended the passwords to your accounts be changed every three months. Keeping up with a routine of when passwords are changed can assist you in making sure your accounts don’t get compromised, especially if they pertain to your personal or work data.<\/p>\n

        More information about password security can be found here: <\/strong><\/p>\n