Passwords are one of the most important security measures for any business network. They are often the first line of defense against intrusions and data theft. Passwords can also be powerful security auditing tools when used correctly. Here are some ways to keep your company passwords more secure and avoid any messy mishaps.
Use Random Generation Tools
The first step is to ensure basic hacking techniques cannot easily crack your passwords. You can do this by using a random generation tool for every password. Don’t let employees choose their own passwords when possible. A random generator is going to create long and secure passwords that cannot be quickly guessed or cracked by common hacking tools.
Implement Network Encryption for Logins
Passwords can be stolen at the login point over a network. Someone monitoring the network or using sniffing programs could steal a password as it is sent to the server. You can prevent this by implement network encryption for all logins. This generally means implementing the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS, for all connections so that the encryption hides the password being sent.
Monitoring
You want to monitor your networks at all times to check that nothing odd is happening. A good idea is to use an active directory monitoring service like Stealthbits that will watch the network 24 hours a day. These services can detect failed logins, suspicious behaviors, and anomalies within the network. A monitoring service can also help to secure your entire network and passwords.
Schedule Security Trainings and Refreshers
Your employees can sometimes compromise the security of your passwords without meaning to. You can reduce the risk of this happening by scheduling regular security trainings and refreshers for everyone. The trainings should cover basic password security, and review company password policies. Refreshers should be given every year to reinforce the security basics.
Change Passwords Often
A final step is to change the company passwords often. This can sometimes be a hassle, although it is part of good security. You generally want to change passwords every 30 to 90 days. This will help to defeat long-term efforts by hackers to slowly discover complex passwords. Most network systems have settings that will automatically prompt administrators or users for new passwords after a certain amount of time passes.
You don’t want to ignore the security of your company passwords even if other authentication methods are already in place. They need to be protected aggressively, monitored, and changed regularly. Taking the time to ensure all your passwords are secure and all employees are trained, can prevent many problems for your company in the future.