Password Security Best Practices; What To Do and Why.

When did you last change your password for Zoom? If you can’t remember, your account is in danger. In fact, any account you’ve used for an extended period of time is likely in danger. With Zoom, however, an account in danger could be sold to a hacker or used to Zoom-bomb a meeting. The longer you use a particular password, the more susceptible that account will become.

A man in a hoodie reaches around the back of a laptop screen. The screen has a large red padlock icon on it, made to look as though it is unlocked. An insecure password leaves you vulnerable.

Best Practices for Password And Account Security:

  • Most experts recommend changing your password at a minimum twice a year, if not more frequently.
  • Never use the same password for multiple accounts. Using credentials across multiple accounts can lead to all those accounts being vulnerable if one of them is hacked.
  • Make them complex! Use special characters, spaces (if allowed) and numbers.
  • Mix up the cases of your letters. (Use both lower case and capital letters)
  • Don’t repeat letters or numbers (XXX555).
  • Don’t use a series of numbers or letters (123XYZ).
  • Because time in use can compromise security, do not re-use old passwords.
  • The more factors to guess, the less likely a brute force or credential stuffing attack will work.

Unsure if your accounts are safe? There are websites which can tell you if your email address has been discovered on one of the credential selling sites. Have I been Pwned and Am I Breached? are two of the most reputable sites for checking your account status. You should check a few times a year to see if your information has been stolen. Even though many of the breaches happen on sites you are not actively using any longer, lazy security practices such as re-using credentials can leave more important accounts vulnerable.

What Should I Do If My Account Was Compromised?

First of all, change the password for the account in question. If you can’t log in to do so, try using the “forgot password” feature on the website. Once that’s done, make sure to change the password on any other website where you used the same username/email and password combination. Finally, if you need help, we’re here for you. Call us, and we can walk you through the steps needed to change all of your passwords. We can even suggest a good secure password manager.

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