World Password Day 2024

Today is World Password Day and a great opportunity to raise awareness and review your credentials! 

Here are some simple tips to help you stay secure. 

How secure are your passwords?

With an ever-increasing number of accounts and devices it can be easy to fall into bad password habits and put yourself at risk.

"The average Australian household now has over a dozen internet-connected devices and we are spending more time online than ever before. In our increasingly tech-driven lives, we use devices and accounts every day that are vulnerable to cyber threats" - Australian Signals Directorate. 

If a cybercriminal gained access to your personal details or social media accounts, could they use that information to guess any of your other passwords? What if one of the services you use was involved in a data breach, could an exposed password be used to access other accounts? 

Easy Password Tips

Use long and unique passphrases for each account

Passphrases are made up of random words and can be made longer than traditional passwords because they are easier to remember.

Try to avoid reusing passwords for multiple accounts or using short or insecure passwords like a pets name, famous quote or song lyrics. 

Consider using a Password Manager

If you do have trouble remembering long passphrases or traditional passwords, a reputable password manager might help.

This can make it easier to keep track of longer unique passwords and many password managers also provide other benefits such as password/passphrase generation and monitoring of data breaches for your credentials. 

Turn on MFA (multi-factor authentication) for online services 

MFA requires two or more actions to be taken to verify your identity. 

Even on World Password Day, the importance of MFA cannot be understated. It adds an extra layer of protection which makes it harder for cybercriminals to gain access to your accounts. 

These actions should contain multiples of the following types of identification:

• Something you know (e.g. PIN, password or phrase)
• Something you have (e.g. a smartcard, verification code sent via SMS, email or authenticator app)
• Something you are (e.g. biometrics like fingerprints or facial recognition)

MFA is sometimes called two-factor authentication (2FA), or two-step verification. 

While it can seem inconvenient at first, MFA provides a strong defense against the majority of password related cyber attacks.

You can find more information about multi-factor authentication here, or follow this how-to guide to protect your devices and accounts.

Stay safe!