Strong Passwords & Password Management

source: intermedia.net

It should always be kept in mind that the first principle of cyber-security is strong passwords. A simple dictionary word or a combination of dictionary words are always susceptible to hacking. Brute-force dictionary attacks are the most common methods used by hackers to crack passwords. And as a matter of fact, some of the most high profile social media cracks are a result of weak passwords from the victims' side.

It is always a good habit to keep passwords strong, random, gibberish and unique. Predictable passwords are a real security threat.

But there is also a downside to strong passwords. An intrinsic limitation, strong passwords are hard to memorize, and at times it becomes practically impossible to memorize multiple strong passwords.

And this is the time when password managers become quite handy. Password managers are simple programs that keep a secure & encrypted database of all the strong passwords for your multiple accounts. But to keep all the passwords secure you need a single pass key, preferably the most strongest password. And it is the one that you truly need to memorize.

One single strong password that will keep all your strong passwords safe is the philosophy behind password management. What if the key to your password manager is compromised? Well, in that case, its all over for you.

Simply put, the key to your password manager becomes the single most important & valuable asset in terms of your information security. One cannot afford to lose this key.

But it becomes highly unlikely that a very strong password is cracked unless a person is tricked into revealing it himself.

How to approach e-commerce security?

Before going into the details of creating an effective e-commerce security strategy, it is very important to grasp the conceptual imperatives of security in general. First and foremost of which is to understand that absolute security in any system is simply unattainable.

That is because attackers are always ahead of security experts. They constantly attack, test, explore and find new methods to overcome security protocols in many ways. And security experts only react to every attack vector, either by trying to minimizing the damage or by producing better security patches.

Although, it is always considered safe to implement all the standard security practices but what is best is to approach e-commerce security by creating a good threat perception and threat anticipation mechanism.

Depending on the value that different e-commerce companies create for their customers, it is only a practical option to list all the possible scenarios where your product or services can be misused in gaining illegal monetary benefit.

Constant research and ethical hacking are some of the effective tactics to implement in this regard. Exploring possible weak spots and devising better and strong remedies will allow your business to grow in relative security. And it is always good to believe in the fact that absolute security is just an illusion.