World Password Day, which is celebrated all over the world on the first Thursday of May every year and coincides with May 4 this year, aims to raise awareness about strong passwords and password security. Alev Akkoyunlu, Operations Director of Laykon Bilişim, the Turkey distributor of Bitdefender Antivirus, shares 6 tips for the security of passwords for World Password Day.
World Password Day, which is celebrated all over the world on the first Thursday of May and coincides with May 4 this year, aims to raise awareness about strong passwords and password security. We spend a lot of time online and most of us are used to sharing our personal information without thinking about the possible consequences. For this reason, passwords are considered a very important point when it comes to the security of data, privacy and sensitive information. Alev Akkoyunlu, Operations Director of Laykon Bilişim, the Turkey distributor of Bitdefender Antivirus, shares 6 tips for the security of passwords for World Password Day.
Laykon IT Operations Director Alev Akkoyunlu lists 6 important suggestions for password security as follows:
"one. Set different passwords for each account. Half of Internet users either use several passwords for all their accounts or use a single password for each online account. This means that with a single password, many important accounts can be compromised. Users should use different passwords for each account.
2. Create strong passwords. Always set passwords that are hard to guess. This means that you must use both upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters such as “#%$” that are at least eight characters long.
3. Use a password manager. Everyone agrees that it is quite difficult to remember a different and strong password for each account, but this is what needs to be done if we want to limit the damage from an unforeseen data breach. If you use the same password on social media, e-commerce sites, and online banking apps, it's enough for one of these services to be breached and the passwords of all your accounts are sold to cybercriminals on the dark web. If you have trouble creating and remembering strong passwords, you can use a password manager like Bitdefender Password Manager. These apps generate strong passwords for you and securely store them behind the strongest data security protocols for easy autofill when you need them.
4. Enable multi-factor authentication. Almost every online service these days offers the option to enable a secondary form of authentication that goes beyond simple password login. Whether it's a string of numbers sent via SMS or a four-letter code that arrives in your inbox, multi-factor authentication (MFA) shows that it's you who's logging in, not someone who stole your password. Make sure to enable the feature for every service that offers this, especially social media and banking services.
5. Always log out of devices. Do not forget to sign out of the accounts you have opened on the devices, especially if you are using a public network or a shared device.
6. Never write down your passwords. There is always the possibility that another person has access to the online platform or excel sheet where you typed your password. Use password managers to securely store your passwords. Never write down your passwords on a piece of paper.”