Cybersecurity is changing constantly, the innovations are endless. Unfortunately, the innovations of hackers and cybercriminals are also endless. Both sides have a lot of resources behind them. The legitimate world of business has its commerce, its profits, and its drive. Hackers are also driven, and they can draw on a vast wealth of intelligence and technical knowledge.
Despite the nearly constant development of cybersecurity innovations, the password isn’t obsolete, at least not yet. Although one could argue that the password is indeed dying, it is dying slowly which means it will remain in use as one of the most common and iconic elements of cybersecurity for the foreseeable future. Here’s what you need to know about passwords and what they mean for your business.
What to Know About Credential Stuffing
Credential stuffing is a tactic that’s commonly employed by hackers and nefarious cybercriminals. In concept, credential stuffing refers to the process of gaining access to user login credentials and using them to gain illegal access to the rightful user’s accounts.
One of the biggest problems associated with credential stuffing and the use of passwords in general is the unfortunate fact that many people use the exact same passwords for multiple accounts.
What does this mean? It means that if a hacker discovers the password that you use to login to a retailer’s website, your email, or even your Netflix account, they can enter that password into a sophisticated botnet program that can try using your password to access almost any online account you have.
Programs like Snipr take a password, login information, etc., and run it through a vast array of websites. When successful, this tactic can essentially give a single hacker access to all of your online accounts, at least all of the accounts where you use the same password.
Credential stuffing is extremely dangerous which is why you should make an effort to use a unique password for each online account you have. If you think keeping track of multiple passwords is difficult, imagine how difficult it would be to have your identity stolen or have your company bank account drained by cybercriminals.
How to Reinforce Passwords and Defend Your Company from Credential Stuffing and Other Cyber-Attacks
Hackers are out there and they want your information. Just as you may require your team to use a key card or a traditional key to enter your office building, passwords are the keys by which employees access your workplace’s network. You have most likely gone to great lengths to secure your office building and ensure no unauthorized access is granted to your space – the same should be done for your environment via passwords. All of your apps should have a robust password policy. These five things should be included in your password policy:
- Minimum password lengths
- Domain administrator accounts require passphrases
- Mandatory password resets every 90 days
- Restrict password reuse
- Establish password audits
You should also make an effort to implement strong firewalls on all systems. When a password fails, a firewall is the next line of defense. Remember, never rely on passwords alone, you should always have one, two, or even three extra layers of defense.
Master Identity and Access Control with a Little Help from The Purple Guys
Here at The Purple Guys, we understand how frightening cyber-threats can be to a business. Our expertly trained team is here to help defend you and your business from all manner of cyber-threats imaginable.
When you sign up for our managed IT services you’ll benefit from 24/7 monitoring, data backups, and powerful security tools that will help keep your business and its data protected.
We’re different from any other managed It service in the Kansas City area, experience the difference, have a chat with The Purple Guys today!