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What are the ways I can securely login online?
What are the ways I can securely login online?
Authenticator Apps are preferred. If your website (such as your financial insitutuion) supports it, authenticator apps are preferrred over other mechanisms such as passwords or even text messages for verification. Instead of using passwords or text messages, authenticator apps generate one-time codes. These codes are generated using a secret key that is shared between your device and the website you are trying to login into. These apps use encryption to protect the secret keys and generate codes that are unique and time-limited, making it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your accounts.
Choose a reputable authenticator app from a trusted vendor like Google or Microsoft. You can download and install these apps on your mobile device from their application marketplace. You will also want to save backup codes and have an alternate method to access your accounts in case you lose your device. Check with your app vendor for details
Strong passwords are another way to keep your account information and credentials secure. Here are some considerations when choosing a strong password:
Avoid Personal Information: Do not use personal information, such as your name, birthdate, or address, in your password. The same with children's names. This information may be available online and can be guessed by hackers. For Sai followers, it is common to use passwords like "swami123". Please avoid such passwords.
Length: The minimum suggested length for a password is at least 12 characters. Remember, the longer the password, the harder it is to crack.
Complexity: Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using common words or phrases. However, a complex phrase or unusual combination of 2 or 3 smaller words may be helpful.
Unique: Use a different password for each of your accounts. This will help prevent hackers from gaining access to multiple accounts if one password is compromised.
Update often: Change your passwords regularly, ideally every3 months. Sometimes your financial institutions or workplace may force you to change your password.
Use a Password Manager: Use a password manager (included with your browser for free or subscription based password manager) to suggest and store your passwords. This can help you manage unique passwords for your critical online accounts as well as choose strong passwords that are hard to crack. It is also easy to generate long passwords (greater than 12 characters) and even passwords of different lengths for different sites.
Are password managers safe to use?
Yes, they are generally safe to use provided you use a reputable service or the built-in ones that come with your browser such as Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. Password managers use encryption to store your passwords so they are harder to crack.
Password managers provide you benefits such as
Additional security by suggesting and generating strong and unique passwords for each of your online accounts.
Simplifying your password management - you only need to remember one password rather than several. Of course, you will want to keep your master password secure.
Warning if any of your passwords have been compromised. Password managers scan the Internet for leaked passwords and will let you know if your password has been impacted.
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