Cyber attacks witnessed a tremendous jump in 2018 on a comparison with 2017. The most infamous cases include the online security breach at Marriott, British Airways, Facebook, Medicare and Medicaid, and Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The information of millions of users was compromised in these cases. Cyber Security breaches at such reputed firms indicate the sophistication of attackers. However, it doesn’t mean you cannot defend your company and users from such online predators. If you’re careful enough to follow multiple cybersecurity strategies and are able to strengthen the backdoor password of all the IoT devices in your network, you’ll actually be reducing the chances of a cyber attack by half.
How To Make A Password Strong?
The first password mantra that you should know is that all long passwords are not equally strong. The strength is measured in terms of complexity and uniqueness too. Therefore, you should aim at;
- Making the password more than or at least 12 characters long
- Using complicated combinations for simple words
- Using rare symbols like ¢, $, @, >, <, and so on
- Using uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols in combination
A Few Examples Of Complication Simple Words
- Dog becomes d15G, D15g, D15G, 4Og, 4OG, and so on
- Cat becomes C@t, 3@t, C120, and so on
Moving on, other password management practices of utmost significance include the following.
- Do not share the password of IP cameras and DVR – any other IoT device – with any unauthorized personnel
- Do not use the same password for any 2 IoT devices in the network
- Allot every employee an individual system with a unique username and password of their own
- Use password management tools to note down all the passwords. Also, encrypt the data for added security
- Use the multi-factor authentication (MFA) technique for user authentication that revolves around clearing multiple identification stages before the system can recognize the user and grant access
- Use the app lockout feature that revolves around sealing the app/system after a spree of failed login attempts. You are further notified about the attempts
Other Unique Tips
There are many other cybersecurity tips that make IoT devices a lot safer when they are combined with a strong backdoor password. The ones that you should follow religiously are given below.
- Using a firewall, antivirus, and firebreaks
- Updating old apps with the newer versions
- Using scanning tools to debug the systems and also the cloud storage
