For businesses, so much of their information is preserved in a database of some kind. From employee information, financials, addresses, inventory and other datasets – your business could be completely compromised if security is not a priority.
Passwords are a common defense against data theft, but they’re also a common weakness. A bad password is a point of vulnerability for most businesses’ digital security. To protect your business, you can begin by avoiding these seven weak passwords.
1 Password
Even if you replace the ‘a’ with an @ symbol (or other similar variations), it is still one of the first choices data thieves will try.
2. QWERTY
Passwords such as this one are just as easy for you to remember as they are for hackers to guess. Other keystroke-pattern passwords will also be compromised with relative ease.
3. 12345
Just like ‘QWERTY,’ ascending and descending numbered patterns are incredibly easy for hackers to get past.
4. [BusinessName]1
Putting your business’s name in the password – even accompanied with numbers and symbols – is a popular go-to for businesses, but it’s also an ill-advised one. Everybody does this, and it will be one of the first choices hackers try.
5. Business Address
This is almost as easy as putting the business name in the password. Different combinations of your street name and address number will definitely be tested by data thieves.
6. Date of Birth
It usually won’t take more than a quick internet search for hackers to learn your birthday. Avoid birthdays, years of birth or dates. Important occasions such as a company’s founding or your anniversary are also poor choices.
7. Simple Words
Using simple words, especially those related to your business, are a creative choice, but hackers are expecting it. If you work in healthcare for instance, avoid words such as care, nurse or health.
Strong passwords need to be unique such as a phrase and include a variety of numbers, symbols, uppercase letters and lowercase letters. They need to be easy for you to remember while also not being obvious. Avoiding the seven types of passwords above will be a good place for your business to begin, though.
These are the Worst Passwords
According to SplashData, almost 10% of people have used at least one of the 25 worst passwords on this year’s list, and nearly 3% of people have used the worst password, 123456. Here are the worst passwords from the past year:
- 123456
- password
- 123456789
- 12345678
- 12345
- 111111
- 1234567
- sunshine
- qwerty
- iloveyou
- princess
- admin
- welcome
- 666666
- abc123
- football
- 123123
- monkey
- 654321
- !@#$%^&*
- charlie
- aa123456 w
- donald
- password1
- qwerty123
You can view the full list here.
Stay Secure With CompanyMileage
Businesses considering migrating their business process to cloud-based services consistently rate security as a top priority and benefit to switching. CompanyMileage considers it a high priority, too. Our HIPAA compliant mileage reimbursement software has a three-tiered system that ensures the security of your company’s data.
Our software exceeds HIPAA standards, offering dual-control password management, password rotation management and table-level encryption. We ensure that equipment and facilities are secure for your business, and CompanyMileage pledges to never make your data accessible to third parties.
When your company is considering transitioning to a cloud-supported mileage tracking and reimbursement system, CompanyMileage is the most secure option. Learn more about our protections and other benefits by requesting a demo today!