If you were to ask anyone whether they like to deal with passwords, the answer would be a big fat no. Not only passwords are hard to remember but changing often can be another big task that most of us tend to avoid. However, passwords are still necessary for your digital identity and they serve to be the only way to keep your accounts secure - at least when an attacker attempts to break-in.
These days, with so much being said about passwords already, internet users have become wise enough to set passwords that are hard to crack. Some who have a good memory and are efficient go one step further of setting up different passwords for different sites.
But under all circumstances, the question still remains that should you change your passwords with time? If yes, then how often?
If we go by the suggestions of cybersecurity experts then the answer revolves around “a few months”. For instance, Jo O'Reilly, deputy editor at ProPrivacy once revealed in a conversation with Business Insider that passwords should be changed every three months. By doing so even if the password is compromised, you basically shorten the time of cybercriminal to remain inside your account. While his recommendation does make sense to some extent, still there are other experts who disagree.
A cybersecurity consultant at Intrust IT, Dave Hatter, on the other hand, argued that unless there hasn’t been a proper password breach, you should not change your passwords. Now with two-factor authentication in place, this does stand even more true.
Gabe Turner, Director of Content at Security.org also had a more interesting answer as he explained that users who change their passwords frequently take shortcuts and then choose passwords that are weak and easy to access for hackers.
Furthermore, there are also Digital Identity Guidelines as released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on the password game which we think you should definitely follow for perfect passwords.
Read next: The Number of Stolen Logins Circulating On Dark Web Increased By 300 Percent since the Year 2018
These days, with so much being said about passwords already, internet users have become wise enough to set passwords that are hard to crack. Some who have a good memory and are efficient go one step further of setting up different passwords for different sites.
But under all circumstances, the question still remains that should you change your passwords with time? If yes, then how often?
If we go by the suggestions of cybersecurity experts then the answer revolves around “a few months”. For instance, Jo O'Reilly, deputy editor at ProPrivacy once revealed in a conversation with Business Insider that passwords should be changed every three months. By doing so even if the password is compromised, you basically shorten the time of cybercriminal to remain inside your account. While his recommendation does make sense to some extent, still there are other experts who disagree.
A cybersecurity consultant at Intrust IT, Dave Hatter, on the other hand, argued that unless there hasn’t been a proper password breach, you should not change your passwords. Now with two-factor authentication in place, this does stand even more true.
Gabe Turner, Director of Content at Security.org also had a more interesting answer as he explained that users who change their passwords frequently take shortcuts and then choose passwords that are weak and easy to access for hackers.
Furthermore, there are also Digital Identity Guidelines as released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on the password game which we think you should definitely follow for perfect passwords.
- Make sure the password that you are about to set is strong and unique.
- Always use two-factor authentication so that even if your account is compromised, you are still safe.
- Using two-factor authentication with machine-generated passwords can make your account absolutely uncrackable.
- Use a password manager so that you don’t have to memorize a password. (Bonus Point: Password managers can also help you identify weak or old passwords so that your account is protected with a strong password at all times)
- In case, if you think your account is hacked, change the password immediately.
Read next: The Number of Stolen Logins Circulating On Dark Web Increased By 300 Percent since the Year 2018
