For most users passwords can be a complete nightmare to create & remember which is why it has become a major security flaw for companies. We need passwords to log onto our computers, networks, emails, CRM’s, websites and anything else that requires authentication.

So how do we overcome the task of keeping so many passwords? We first need to look at some of the more serious concerns regarding passwords and the common flaws every company has.

Employee passwords are easy to remember

One serious flaw companies have is allowing their employees to choose their own passwords. They may have some sort of password policy in place such as it can’t contain a common word or has to be at least 8 characters but for the most part companies have no policy in place whatsoever.

Give an average user a chance to create a password it’s most likely they will keep it simple using something like ‘123456’ or even ‘password’ as stated in Top 10 Most Common Passwords . Actually we have been taken by surprise a few times when we have seen IT admins use passwords such as ‘admin’ and even ‘password’.

So whats the problem with easy to remember passwords?

The simple answer is brute force. An easy and common method of obtaining passwords is by using brute force which is done by a special program that will try every combination of popular passwords until it gets a positive hit. Brute force programs are widely used online by hackers trying to gain access to networks, servers, websites and web accounts.

Google shows that 27,100 searches had been performed in July 2008 for the term password cracker so it’s a popular past time for many.

Take control of your business with password management

If you haven’t done so already we suggest putting a better password management procedure in place. Restrict employees from creating their own passwords and use a password generator to create random and more difficult to remember passwords such as something like ‘iHy78Ji826Ygh2!09H’.

How to remember difficult passwords

When you generate a difficult password like the one shown above it becomes more difficult for users to remember. Password storage devices can help overcome this problem but this can still remain unsafe.

Never let employees write password on paper or sticky notes for everyone to see, this is plain careless and can land a company in a lot of trouble.

Take a step further and don’t use passwords

More and more businesses are now starting to deploy biometric systems to authenticate users onto work stations, laptops and anything else deemed to be secure. These biometric systems are important to use on devices that leave company property on a regular basis i.e. employee laptops.

A lost or stolen laptop can cause a major data breech so its recommended to follow as many laptop security tips as possible.