Weak passwords are a hacker’s dream and everyone else’s nightmare. The reality is that the online world is far from safe. Hackers are on the constant look out for weak passwords and systems they can breach quickly and easily. Unfortunately, people are still failing to secure their online information and despite the warnings, online accounts are protected by common and feeble passwords. Password protection is vital to ensure yours, and your client’s, sensitive information remains secure.
The Australian Government has recently divulged the 25 most common passwords on the internet sourced from over five million passwords. Did yours make the list? It really is dumbfounding that the #1 password continues to be 123456. It is like an open invitation to a hacker to infiltrate your accounts.
So, apart from the chuckle of ‘hottie’ and ‘loveme’ making the list, what does this mean for you as an agent?
The Importance of a Secure Online Password
As well as everyone else in business and on the planet generally, it is important for agents to secure their trust accounts. And not only trust accounts but servers, your trust accounting software and all your other agency programs. We have too regularly seen agents with the password ‘password’ to access their accounts.The speed in which hackers guess passwords is frightening with software that can guess passwords at a rate of thousands per second. Pretty scary right?
3 Steps to Improve your Online Security and Password Protection
-
Change your weak passwords immediately!
Especially if your password was on the top 25 list. We hope after reading the list you may have done this already.
-
Install a password manager
An online password manager stores all your passwords offline and can generate strong passwords to use on all your accounts. Being online you will always have access to them as well as knowing they are protected. We are a fan of lastpass which has a free option and paid subscription for employee access. It creates and stores passwords effortlessly and are on tap whenever you need them. It has been voted one of the top secure password managers of 2017.
-
Use two-factor authentication wherever possible
If you are given an option for two factor authentication, be sure to take it. It may add a tiny amount of time to your day but will be well worth it!
~ Jane Morgan is the Director of End of Month Angels, a consultancy firm specialising in Trust Accounting. Jane knows the legislative requirements of running a successful Real Estate office through her 19 years industry experience. Don’t trust just anyone with your trust accounting. Trust End of Month Angels and get back to what you do best – growing your business.