When it comes to account security and passwords, people typically have a “she’ll be right” attitude; they have nothing to hide, so why should they care about their Facebook account having a weak password or not.
Compromised email and social media accounts are all too common, and what happens is that the attacker not only locks you out, but also starts committing identity theft. Sending malicious messages to all their friends and family, trying to break into other accounts, making fraudulent transactions are a very real and dangerous reality.
At Amigo Technology, we want to keep people and their information safe, so that’s why we’ve taken liberty to provide some helpful resources on account security.
Here are some of the basic concepts that every user needs to be aware of for better account security.
What is a Password Manager?
As explained in a very friendly article written by Malwarebytes, a password manager is “a software application designed to store and manage online credentials. It also generates passwords. Usually, these passwords are stored in an encrypted database and locked behind a master password”. This helps in the prevention of hacker attacks like keystroke logging and it prevents the need to remember multiple passwords.
Typically, Amigo Technology deals with cloud-based password managers, which means that no matter where you are, as long as you have the right credentials for your password manager account, you can access all your passwords on your phone, tablet, and computer.
At the moment, we recommend two Password Managers: Lastpass (Subscription) or Bitwarden (Free for a single user).
To learn more, please visit these links below:
What is 2 Factor Authentication (2FA)?
Two factor authentication is considered an additional level of security for an account, but in all honesty, should really be a prerequisite in 2021. As beautifully explained by Authy, “2FA is an extra layer of security used to make sure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are. First, a user will enter their username and a password. Then, instead of immediately gaining access, they will be required to provide another piece of information, mainly a random code”
We recommend setting up 2FA authentication in two different ways (or typically both at the same time):
SMS 2FA: A one-time code is sent to your mobile number
2FA App: A app designed to receive all of your 2FA codes
Below are some helpful resources that will help you getting started with 2FA:
How do I make strong passwords?
Using weak passwords, or the same passwords over and over is probably the most common issue many IT technicians face. Every password should be different, have symbols and be greater than 8 characters.
If you’re stuck on trying to create a password that you can remember, there’s actually a really helpful website that we use all the time, it’s called Dinopass. You can ask it to generate a simple password, add a couple of symbols and numbers, and there you have it!
Having strong passwords is the first step to keeping secure online.