Some months ago we started trialling Wordfence as a security measure for our own websites and our client’s websites to evaluate the efficacy of this software service. Having this installed on a website is the equivalent of the antivirus software on your computer that protects against malicious hackers gaining access and doing really horrible things than can damage your website, your company’s reputation, or your wallet by holding your site to ransom. Wordfence compiles a list of intruder countries, IP addresses and uses advisories and clever defence techniques to keep your site protected beyond just using a username and password. At this point, we have installed and provided this service for free, but later we will be offering a yearly fee for those who wish to retain this service in the future (to be announced).
Do the 2 Step
While we believe that a strong password is important (you can read Google’s advice here), the addition of 2-step verification is also a very good additional protection against criminals. The 2-step verification system uses your mobile phone to send you a once-only code that you enter in your login prompt on your computer when logging into an online account. Most major software companies offer this for their account holders now, including Microsoft, Apple and Google. By using 2-step verification, an intruder can’t just use a password to login, they would need to have access to your phone as well to access your computer or apps.
Variety equals security
Because different passwords are vital for every account login you have, we strongly recommend using a password manager. There are many password managers available – some are paid subscription, some free or paid, and there are some that are free. We have used LastPass for some time now and can highly recommend this secure password management tool for managing all your passwords. Having to only remember one password to access all your passwords, keep secure notes and autofill for login fields is a certainly a major benefit for your time and security of your passwords.
Passwords are a pain for many of us to figure one out and then try to remember. This great article on passwords by Inga Ting from the Sydney Morning Herald website is recommended reading.
