World Password Day

How do Star Wars and passwords relate?

Today, May 4th, World Password Day is celebrated. This date commemorates the importance of protecting our online accounts and keeping our personal information secure.

The choice of this date has special significance. In addition to being recognized by Star Wars fans as "May the Fourth Be With You," it's also an opportunity to raise awareness about the risk of using Star Wars references as part of our passwords, which can be an insecure practice.

Every year, studies reveal that the human factor is one of the leading causes of data breaches. According to Verizon's annual report on data breach investigations, 821% of breaches are related to human error, such as the use of stolen credentials, phishing, misuse, or simply carelessness.

Despite the risks, passwords remain fundamental to our online lives and won't be going away anytime soon. Although some companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google are adopting passwordless authentication solutions, many applications, services, and systems will take time to adapt to these new protocols.

On this World Password Day, it's crucial to reflect on how to improve our password hygiene, abandon outdated password management practices, and leverage modern authentication technologies to keep our accounts and information secure online.

On this World Password Day, what's the best way to choose a secure password?

One of the most effective ways to protect our passwords is to avoid easy and reused passwords. Instead, it is recommended Use strong passwords of at least 16 random characters or long phrases, unique for each loginAlthough it may seem tedious, using a password manager can make it easier to automatically generate and securely store complex passwords. With a password manager, you'll only need to remember one password: your vault's master password.

Another important recommendation is Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. Currently, MFA is one of the most effective ways to thwart attackers. By combining multiple authentication factors—such as something you are (a biometric fingerprint or facial scan), something you have (such as a hardware key or mobile phone), and something you know (such as a password)—even if an attacker manages to obtain a password using techniques like email phishing, they will need to employ a second technique to gain access to the account.

If you'd like more tips on online safety, don't hesitate to contact us. Our team of experts is here to help.