Improving Your Passwords Strength

 

Home / Blog / How to Improving Your Passwords Strength

 

Improving Your Passwords Strength

 

Author: Steve Marcionni – Executive Consultant, Infrastructure

Published: 4th May 2022

 

A password is the first line of defence in protecting not only your own personal data, but also confidential company data. There are penalties for data breaches in Australia covered under the Australia Privacy Act of 1988, the Privacy Regulation 2013, and the latest addition for security breach reporting Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017. It is imperative to have a stringent password policy that protects against data breaches for both your company data and personal data.

 

Passwords vs. Passphrases

One of the most effective ways to keep your data safe is to use multi-factor authentication as an additional layer of security. However when multi-factor authentication isn’t available, passphrases should be used rather than complicated passwords that can’t be remembered. For example a password such as r0nZUwykYfvAjUmfip0myNB@D@SA would never be remembered but a passphrase like EyewatchAFL057! can easily be committed to memory.

The longer and more complex the password, the longer it takes to crack. As an example, a simple 7 character password consisting of all lowercase letters takes only 0.29 milliseconds to crack, but it would take nearly 200 years to crack a 12-character password of mixed lower case letters. The example supplied above will take 4,476,650,254,127 years to hack.

 

Some key aspects of creating strong Passphrases include:

  • Aim for at least 4 words or a minimum of 14 characters.
  • Use a combination of upper and lower case, numbers and a special characters.
  • Create unpredictable passphrases e.g. ‘Banana house 2 green sheep!’
  • Create a unique passphrase for each valuable account

 

Passwords weaken as technology evolves and hackers become more proficient. In just a few years, passwords that may be considered strong by today’s standards could become much easier to crack. You may have had a strong 7-character password a decade ago that would have taken several years to crack back then, but now takes a few hours or days to crack. Because of this it’s important to use the best technology available, such as multi-factor authenticator, to keep your data secure.

 

Your password security isn’t only dependent on the strength of your password. Remember to never share your account details or password with anyone, this includes accounts supplied by customers for accessing their site. You are responsible for what happens under the account and there are substantial penalties for data breaches.

It important to never use well known passwords that are available on the Internet for example P@ssw0rd1 and to change passwords on a regular basis, (this is automatically enforced by Microsoft Group Policy).

Always consider security when setting and using passwords. Remember, security is only as good as the weakest password.

For more information on how to create and use passphrases to improve security, take a look at the Australian Cyber Security Centres publication. 

 

Discover more.

Industry News

Top Mining Industry Risks of 2024

Entering a new year allows us to examine the top risks and opportunities that are top of mind for mining and metals industry executives in 2024. If you haven’t already read it, Ernst and Young's report - "Top 10 business risks and opportunities for mining and metals in 2024" has detailed breakdowns of the key industry trends.
Read More
Top Mining Industry Risks of 2024
Company News

Partnership Announcement

Scope Systems and PeopleTray Announce Strategic Partnership to accelerate the delivery of workforce management software to the mining and mining contracting market.
Read More
Partnership Announcement
Consulting

Scope Systems Parked Invoice System

The Parked Supplier Invoice Approval System is a Pronto Xi enhancement created by Scope Systems that provides you with additional functionality by adding the ability to edit and include an approval process for invoices.
Read More
Scope Systems Parked Invoice System
Industry News

The Mining Outlook According to RIU

The RIU Explorers conference this year saw a packed full house of over 1800 delegates and 200 exhibitors in the Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle. Both exhibitors and attendees there had a pretty bullish outlook, despite the repeated doom and gloom in the media.
Read More
The Mining Outlook According to RIU
Consulting

Workforce Engagement Through Digital Automation

With staff retention a key issue currently facing the mining industry, discover why digital automation is key to increasing you workforce engagement.
Read More
Workforce Engagement Through Digital Automation
Industry News

Top Risks in the Mining Industry 22/23

The mining industry has once again faced many challenges this year, with a major one again being the microscope the industry has been put under for its male-dominated culture. This year’s Australian Mining Risk Forecast has been recently released by KPMG and it’s an interesting read on what is top of mind for mining executives.
Read More
Top Risks in the Mining Industry 22/23
Industry News

Going for Gold – The Year in Review

Take a look at the year in review. From the RIU Explorers conference to Diggers and Dealers, our Sales and Marketing Manager Sonia Turner give her summary of the financial year.
Read More
Going for Gold – The Year in Review
Industry News

What is e-invoicing?

E-invoicing isn’t a new idea, the first electronic invoices were sent over 30 years ago through an electronic data interchange. Since then, e-invoicing has developed into a safe and secure way for suppliers to automatically and digitally exchange invoice information to customers through a secure network. So why move to e-invoicing and what are the benefits it can give to your company?
Read More
What is e-invoicing?
Consulting

ERP Software Solutions for Exploration Mining

Starting up an exploration venture requires careful planning of capital, with keeping costs to a minimum one of the highest priorities for a company. One aspect of keeping costs low can include the business systems designed to help control expenditure.
Read More
ERP Software Solutions for Exploration Mining
Consulting

Why Partner with a Software Solutions Provider?

Why partner with a software solutions specialist? Is it worth considering or are you better off managing on our own? To answer these questions, let’s look at what a specialist like Scope Systems can bring to the table.
Read More
Why Partner with a Software Solutions Provider?
Consulting

Why Integrate your ERP Software?

Companies today are more diverse then ever, finding they to have multiple software solutions to add extra functionality to their system. Having an integrated solution allows all your systems to 'talk' to each other , with your ERP acting as your primary system.
Read More
Why Integrate your ERP Software?
Consulting

3 Benefits of Software Training

For some companies, the idea of training staff to use new or existing software is a no brainer, recognising the benefits to the company from the outset. Others are more hesitant, with questions such as if there will be any tangible benefit, what will the true ROI be and what’s stopping staff jumping ship to another company after.
Read More
3 Benefits of Software Training
Industry News

.Au Domain Names Have Arrived

From March 2022 a new domain name category has become available for Australian domain names, with the new, shorter .au name arriving.
Read More
.Au Domain Names Have Arrived
Consulting

Improve Your Budgeting and Forecasting

Budgeting is one of those unavoidable tasks that most of us would prefer not to do, investing in a budgeting solution can help improve your processes.
Read More
Improve Your Budgeting and Forecasting
Consulting

Improving Your Passwords Strength

A password is the first line of defence in protecting not only your own personal data, but also confidential company data. Check out our tips for creating a strong and memorable password.
Read More
Improving Your Passwords Strength
Consulting

What You Need to Know About STP Phase 2

Are you ready for the upcoming reporting changes for STP Phase 2? Learn what you need to do now to prepare and what to expect.
Read More
What You Need to Know About STP Phase 2
Consulting

Modern Enterprise Data Architecture – Data Lake or Data Warehouse?

For data to be transformed into understandable information it first needs to be stored somewhere accessible, most commonly in a Data Warehouse or Data Lake.
Read More
Modern Enterprise Data Architecture – Data Lake or Data Warehouse?
Consulting

Greater Visibility Across Mining Supply Chains Will Reduce Supplier Risk

With accurate inventory data, you can measure supplier performance and help reduce extended lead times across your mining supply chain.
Read More
Greater Visibility Across Mining Supply Chains Will Reduce Supplier Risk
Consulting

Is Your Tenement Management System Time Consuming?

Ensuring your multiple tenements activities are being recorded and reported on is vital, as failing to do so can affect your whole mining operation and lead to costly penalties.
Read More
Is Your Tenement Management System Time Consuming?
Consulting

Intelligent Inventory Management Solutions will Transform the Mining Industry

An inventory management solution will give mining companies data-driven insights to help increase profits by focusing on having the right stock to meet demand.
Read More
Intelligent Inventory Management Solutions will Transform the Mining Industry
{"slides_column":1,"slides_scroll":1,"dots":"true","arrows":"true","autoplay":"true","autoplay_interval":2000,"speed":300,"lazyload":""}

Take the next step.

Get the help you need now. One of our experts will call you to discuss your needs and help start you on the path to greater control.

© Scope Systems Pty Ltd 2024
Business Management Software Solutions