World Password Day: strong passwords

Cyberattacks are very common, according to Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs, they were detected only last year 200 billion of attempted cyber attacks in Latin America, while in Mexico 94 billion occurred.
This is not a surprise and currently, cybercriminals constantly look for the vulnerabilities of Internet users to steal their information. One of the most important vulnerabilities is weak passwords.

According to Fortinet, a company dedicated to providing cybersecurity services, there are numerous tactics to steal passwords that can range from phishing to traffic interception.
“Cybercriminals are constantly looking for new ways to compromise user credentials, making it almost impossible to create a complete list of how they can steal a password,” said Arturo Torres, FortiGuard Labs cybersecurity strategist for Latin America and the Caribbean in a statement.

Therefore, it is important to keep passwords secure. As part of World Password Day, Fortinet shares four basic tips to create a strong password, which can keep user security safe.

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4 tips to create a strong password

• Create passwords that are impossible to forget, but difficult for others to guess

One of the tips that Fortinet provides is create strong passwords with a method called mnemonic, which consists of mentally associate the password to be memorized with data that is from everyday practice.
For example, you can use the second letter of each word in a sentence you know or the lyrics of a song, making a mix of uppercase, lowercase, and special characters.

• Avoid using specific names, numbers or phrases in passwords

Personal information should be kept out of creating strong passwords. You should avoid birthdays, phone numbers, and work information.etc.
“Instead, a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols is recommended, and create a password that is at least 10 characters long,” Fortinet notes.

• Use different passwords for each account

By using the same password on multiple accounts, you give the cybercriminal the opportunity to steal other accounts, especially since this information can end up on the dark web.
“Cybercriminals who know that it is very common for passwords to be reused will begin to use that information in other accounts until they manage to unlock those that have the same combination,” says Fortinet.
Therefore, it is very important have different passwords for each account.

• Use a password manager to generate passwords

“A password manager can generate unique passwords for each of your accounts, encrypt those passwords, and store them in a local or cloud-based vault. These apps make it much easier to ensure you’re using the strongest passwords as well as that it is only necessary to memorize a single one to be able to access the rest,” says the security company.

Therefore, a good option to create secure passwords is to use a password manager.

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