Why a strong password matters

Weak or reused passwords remain one of easiest ways that security breaches happen for small and medium sized businesses. With the advance in processing power and AI Cybercriminals have automated tools at their disposal allowing simple passwords to be cracked in seconds. One of the quickest and least expensive ways to improve cybersecurity for your organisation is to fix your password hygiene. Think of it like a toothbrush you wouldn’t share a toothbrush so why share a password.

Best practices for a strong password

Length: Use at least 16 characters

The most simple way to increase password strength is to make it longer.

• Harder to brute-force
• More resistant to dictionary attacks
• Almost every online service allows you to use more than 16 characters.

Aim for 16 characters but more is better!

Invest in a Password Manger

A password manager not only helps you to generate, store and auto-fill in passwords without needing to memorise them but they can help you spot phishing sites by not prompting to fill in your credentials.

Features of Password Managers:

• Create long, random passwords
• Auto-fill logon details
• Sync across devices so your passwords are available on your phone, laptop and tablet
• Share Organisation Passwords with staff without them knowing the actual password
• Reduce the risk of staff reusing passwords across sites

You only need to remember one master password – which you should make as long and strong as possible (see next tip)

Three Random Words – How to create a memorable password

For the passwords that you can’t store in your password manager (such as your password managers password) use a password comprising of memorable words.

Example: UndoITStress2026!

This helps you to create passwords that are:

• Long
• Easy to remember
• Hard for attackers to guess and bruteforce

Just avoid anything personal that is easy to guess like your pets name as its really difficult to get them to respond to a new name if your password gets compromised 🙂

Never reuse passwords

Every account should have a different password. This gives you the security of if a platform is breached then a compromised password will only grant access to one site rather than all your email, cloud and business systems. Implementing a password managed helps to eradicate this risk. 

Avoid Personal Information

As stated above using personal information in your passwords can lead to easy compromise. Cybercriminals will pull information from open platforms such as social media, websites and online directories, to keep your passwords secure avoid using:

• Names of your children, parents, and animals
• Birthdays & Anniversaries 
• Phone numbers
• Company names

Use randomness, length and complexity instead.

Bonus Tip: MFA is your friend!

Even using the strongest password you can sometimes we slip up and an account can be compromised. If you have the option of enabling MFA, sometimes called 2FA please do so as it helps add another layer of security in the event of your password being compromised.

Protect your business with strong passwords

If you are ready to help improve your organisations password policies or implement a password manager across your business we can help.