Tighten Password Practices with Training

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Research reveals many leaders of small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) do not trust their employees to secure critical and confidential information.

Mar 19, 2024

Cybersecurity

Research reveals many leaders of small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) do not trust their employees to secure critical and confidential information. Why? Because analysis of data breaches indicates more than half of those incursions involve human error.

But study after study also confirms that one of the best ways for SMB leaders to address this issue is user education. And what should companies prioritize in cybersecurity training? Password practices.

The reason for that is a small change to password protocols goes a long way.

Consider these results generated from studies in IT labs... If a gang of hackers typically has the computing power to make 100 billion attempts at guessing a single employee password, then:

  • A short password of six random lowercase letters could crack in a fraction of a second
  • Nearly doubling length to 11 random lowercase letters increases task time to 11 hours
  • Adding random uppercase letters to the mix rockets the job to 30 months
  • Sprinkle in numbers and special characters? The assignment leaps to 500 years

That’s why crafting a sound password protection policy and training staff to follow it can make a big difference in reducing risk in relatively short order.

Moreover, all types of cybersecurity education reinforce a culture of vigilance in your organization that strengthens your first line of defense against cybercrime – your employees. Plus, a cyber savvy workforce produces competitive advantage as your company minimizes and mitigates operational disruptions.

Need help sharpening your password policies, practices and training? Give us a call.


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