May 7 has been marked as the World Password Day. This day involves the discussion to create a strong password and prevent our data from hackers. Incidents of hacking and cybercrime are rising with every passing day and it’s extremely worrying given all of us are always on the internet.
In a cyber world, secure passwords are important. Other than keeping your information offline, long, unique and complex passwords protect your valuable information best. Another tactic is changing your passwords every few months or any time you think your accounts have been compromised.
Hackers gave 5 lakh Zoom account credentials for free on Dark Web
History of World Password Day
Mark Burnett, a Security researcher was the first one to encourage people to have a “password day,” where they update important passwords in his 2005 book Perfect Passwords. Inspired by his idea, Intel Security took the initiative to declare the first Thursday in May World Password Day in May 2013. Submitted by Big Monocle in 2016. Password Day is meant to create awareness of the need for good password security. The Registrar of National Day Calendar has designated the first Thursday of May of each year as World Password Day.
How to keep your password strong and protected?
- Use Characters from Four Categories: Alternating upper and lower case letters for familiar acronyms allows you to remember your passwords, while creating complex passwords that contain alternating letter cases.
- The Longer, the Better: You should create long passwords to bolster the strength of your cybersecurity. The use of the four characters(commas, percent signs, parentheses, upper-case letters, lower-case letters, and numbers) provides you with enough characters to create lengthy and complex passwords that even the most advanced password detection software cannot break.
- Use a Password Manager: Web services such as Lastpass and RoboForm provide you with digital prompts that help you create very strong passwords. The best part of the downloadable password management software is that it also organizes different passwords to ensure you never forget how to gain access to varied websites.
- Diversity in Passwords: Passwords represent the first line of security defense against hackers who want to break into your computer or access your vital online data. To make sure you benefit from the tips on how to make your password strong, never write down your passwords or store the passwords in an easy to extract the file on your computer.
How to celebrate World Password Day?
This day can be celebrated by visiting PasswordDay.org and taking the #WorldPasswordDay pledge. Share these password tips on social media, too:
- change an old password to a long, strong one
- turn on two-factor authentication for your important accounts
- password protect your wireless router
- don’t store passwords on your computer or phone
- log off when you’re done with a program
- periodically remove temporary internet files
