For many people, one of the most annoying things about technology is that you have to have a password for everything. While password verification is vital in keeping your data safe, it can be hard to keep track of all of the different passwords.

You and your employees might try to keep things simpler by having passwords that you can easily remember. This can leave your data at risk. It just takes one predictable guess for a hacker to take your business down.

Many businesses don’t recover after a data breach, so it’s important to avoid these most common password mistakes. Read on to find out what they are.

Yes, People Still Use This Password

If you were to guess what the most common password is, what would you say? Would you be surprised to learn that it’s 12345?

You would think that people would learn that this password is a perfect target for fraud and hacking, but they haven’t. Don’t make the same mistake. Make sure that your passwords aren’t obvious words like titans or predators.

Companies Lack Password Policies

Most small businesses leave password creation up to their employees. The problem with that is that you’re leaving too much to chance. They may not be aware that they’re making a mistake with their password.

A strong password policy for your business is one way to ensure that your employees are held accountable for keeping their passwords strong and secure.

If your employees bring their own devices to work, you should have some kind of policy to ensure that their systems are secure and don’t corrupt your network.

Use the Same Password for Everything

Another common mistake that people make is that they use the same password for everything. Sure, it’s easy to remember. It just takes one data breach to access all of your data, banking data included.

You want to make sure that you use different passwords for everything and change them regularly. There’s a good chance that password from 10 years ago is floating around the dark web somewhere.

Storing Passwords

You want to make sure that you can remember your passwords. You may keep a text file on your computer that has the complete list of all of your passwords.

If your device is infected with ransomware and a hacker gets that data, your price of ransom just went way up. That’s if the hacker doesn’t take it upon themselves to browse through those sites.

Using Numbers for Letters

One of the ways that people have created passwords that they can remember and strong is that they use numbers for letters. For example, the word tree becomes tr33.

This is predictable for hackers that have access to a lot of information about you. They can easily guess what your favorite word is and try to crack that code.

Avoid the Most Common Password Mistakes

Whether you’re responsible for data, you need to be absolutely sure that it’s protected. There’s too much at stake, and you can’t afford to have your system breached.

The easiest way to protect your data is to avoid the most common password mistakes. Make sure that you use strong passwords, change them regularly, and have a password policy.

Do you need help securing your systems and making them more efficient? Contact us today to find out how we can help your business.