When choosing a strong password, any password on this list is to be avoided, as well as any passowrds on other most commonly used password lists, even up to the 10,000 most common password list. A recent study showed that 91% of all internet users have a password that appears within the top 1000 most common passwords. As there are now computers that can process 348 billion passwords per second, a top 1000 password will not take very long to crack. Another list that can be used as an example of passwords not to use is the list of passwords that Twitter found to be too common and banned them from the service. If you have concerns about your password strength, it can be found at http://howsecureismypassword.net/. This site can also tell you how long it would take a desktop PC to crack it.
SplashData offers these tips for the creation of secure passwords:
- Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters. One way to create longer, more secure passwords that are easy to remember is to use short words with spaces or other characters separating them. For example, âeat cake at 8!â or âcar_park_city?â
- Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites. Especially risky is using the same password for entertainment sites that you do for online email, social networking, and financial services. Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up for.
- Having trouble remembering all those different passwords? Try using a password manager application such as 1Password that organizes and protects passwords and can automatically log you into websites. The downside is that using a password manager isn't always possible and it isn't always practical either.
a knowledge factor ("something the user knows"),
a possession factor ("something the user has"),
and an inherence factor ("something the user is").
Here is how it works: Once you enter your password as you normally would, a code is sent to your mobile phone or an app that you have previously approved to be used for this purpose. As soon as the code comes through, you enter it and can access the account.
How does this protect your data?
If your password is accessed by hackers (keylogger, sniffer, steals your laptop, etc.), they will still be unable to access your account because they will need your mobile phone to complete the secondary authentication. Strong password creation and keeping your passwords secure help prevent any unauthorized access to your data and this is important since, as a real estate agent, a lot of your data is confidential and needs to be protected. The 2-factor authentication measure handles this in the majority of situations, keeping your data secure.
Dropbox 2-factor authentication setup instructions: https://www.dropbox.com/help/363/en
Google Drive and other Google services setup instructions: http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=180744
CloudHQ provides a secure backup of all of your data. The replication process is automatic and operates silently in the background, invisible to the user. It is continuous replication which means it automatically updates in real-time as changes are made to data, so you never have to worry about losing any data.
Let's use an example. You have anEvernote account and want to use cloudHQ to protect your Evernote data. You simply create two Evernote accounts. One is your primary Evernote account and the other is your backup account. CloudHQ provides a continuous replication of all data from the primary Evernote account to the secondary Evernote account. If a hacker gains access to your primary account and deletes your data (including from Evernote trash), the backup account will still hold a complete second copy of all of your data.
Strong passwords and security measures are usually enough to keep your data safe from unauthorized access. But if it does fail, the results can be devastating. You can keep access to your data at all times by utilizing the superior backup methods of cloudHQ.
- Security experts laud Apple for following Microsoft, others on two-factor authentication (computerworld.com)
- Apple adds two-factor authentication to Apple ID (zdnet.com)
- App.net Adds Two-Factor Authentication (app.net)
- Apple adds two-factor authentication to iCloud and Apple ID (p30guide.wordpress.com)
- Evernote planning two-factor authentication following hack (pocket-lint.com)
- FBI Gets Bitten by Operational Security (veracode.com)
- Apple introducing extra protection against hackers (guardian.co.uk)
- Apple Adds Two-Factor Authentication to Apple ID, Here's How to Set It Up (lifehacker.com)
- Apple debuts two-factor authentication to protect against hackers (computerweekly.com)
- Why Two Factor Authentication Should be a Part of Your Security Plans for 2013 (twilio.com)