On the surface, changing your passwords regularly may seem like a good way to keep cybercriminals on their toes and protect your accounts. Password rotation doesn’t actually stop beaches since cybercriminals almost always use account credentials as soon as they are stolen. As a result, changing your passwords every three months will do little to mitigate this risk. Continue reading to learn about the dangers of this practice and how to create secure passwords.
Dangers of Password Rotation
Password rotation has been a longstanding practice used to keep account credentials safe. However, cyberthreats are always evolving, making old security measures nowhere near as effective as they used to be.
Encourages Weak Password Habits
Password rotation only helps if your passwords are strong and unique. But when users are faced with having to create and remember new passwords every 90 days or so, they are going to take shortcuts. Users are more likely to create passwords that are easy to remember, also making these credentials easier for cybercriminals to crack. For example, changing your password from “Password123” to “Password124” isn’t going to cut it. To keep the password secure, it’s best to make it at least 12 characters with letters, numbers, and special characters and only change it if there is a breach.
Disrupts and Frustrates Users
According to a survey conducted by NordPass, the average person has 168 personal passwords and 87 business related passwords to keep track of. Having to regularly rotate all these passwords becomes not only frustrating but disruptive to any work environment. Employees who are forced to change their passwords on a regular basis are more likely to forget them and have to reset them before the next rotation. This not only takes up valuable work time but can also cost your IT team resources if it becomes a regular occurrence.
Cybercriminals Can’t Wait to Use Stolen Passwords
In theory, password rotation is supposed to limit the time a stolen password can be used by an attacker. However, once a cybercriminal gains access to a system using your credentials, they can do significant damage in a very short amount of time before anyone notices. Regularly scheduled rotations do not secure passwords. If anything, they give cybercriminals more time to hack into your system before you have noticed something is wrong or that it’s time to change your credentials. These arbitrary time-based password changes need to stop and be replaced with strong password security practices that are more effective at keeping your information safe.
Alternatives to Password Rotation
Since password rotation does not secure passwords effectively, it’s time to find new alternatives. Luckily there are many modern strategies that not only effectively protect passwords but are also more appealing to the people using them.
Multi-factor Authentication
Strong passwords are important to keeping your credentials safe, but they are not enough on their own. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity through a second form of authentication. This can be done by requiring a fingerprint scan, sending a one-time code to your phone, or using a hardware token. Now, even if a cybercriminal manages to steal a user’s password, they still won’t be able to access the account without the second factor of authentication.
Password Management Tools
One of the main reasons users struggle to secure passwords is the sheer number of them. Faced with having to remember so many, users often resort to using or reusing weak passwords across their accounts, making it easier for hackers to steal their information. Password managers like LastPass help solve this problem by storing all your passwords in an encrypted vault, which can only be accessed with a master password. These tools secure passwords even further by generating strong, random login keys for each account. This ensures every password you use is unique, difficult to guess, and easily accessible so you don’t have to remember it.
Monitoring and Alerts
Another key to having secure passwords is to stay informed about potential breaches. Many modern password management tools like LastPass offer password monitoring features that alert users if their credentials have been compromised. These alerts allow users to act quickly and change their stolen passwords before cybercriminals can cause intense damage. Plus, this approach is far more effective than waiting for passwords to expire and hoping they haven’t been compromised in the meantime.
Secure All Your Passwords and Keep Your Information Safe!
Cybercriminals find new ways to steal your information every day. As a result, password rotation is no longer an effective strategy to secure your passwords and defend against data breaches. This out-of-date practice puts your information at greater risk and causes unnecessary frustration in your business environment. But if password rotation is no longer an option, what can you do to protect your data? Password best practices is just one of the lessons we go over in our free cybersecurity e-course. Sign-up today and get free, weekly emails full of the latest ways you can keep your information safe.
