Making Passwords and Blog Security Your Priority!!
Monday, October 5th, 2009Heads’ Up Business Bloggers!
This post is meant to be a big heads’ up folks. Your password security should be a top blogging priority!
You really must find ways to encrypt passwords to anything you use online these days and that certainly includes your blog! There are people out their working to steal your personal information. Beyond compromising personal bank accounts, they very well may be interested in invading, or even controlling, your sites.
It’s very important to understand that your host cannot prevent the hacking of your user name or password.
No- Nos
Wikipedia defines encryption as the process of transforming information using an algorithm (called cipher) to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. Now, we’re not suggesting the use of an algorithm so much as we are that you be clever enough to make passwords virtually undetectable to others, save yourself = ‘the key.’
Using your dog’s name, or ‘Janesblog’ is far from careful or clever; it’s certainly not even basic encryption. In fact it risks your blog and your content, which is your time, effort, brand and your money! … so please go the extra mile!
Password Protection Tactics
One trick that folks can use might be abbreviating a common phrase or a popular line from a song. For instance, take the Pledge of Allegiance. “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America…” could be the password ipa2tfotuso@.
How about family member first initials starting with youngest?
Adding in numbers capital letters or punctuation marks, if allowed, add additional layers of security. Ultimately, the longer the password and the broader the spectrum of characters, the harder it is to crack.
About.com offers a great set of ideas for Creating Secure Passwords, including detail for:
- Do not use personal information
- Do not use real words
- Mix different character types
- Use a passphrase
- Use a password management tool
- Use different passwords
- Change your passwords
Your WordPress Blog offers a tool called a ‘Strength Indicator’. We highly recommend using it. You can find it in your Administration, in your ‘Users’ drop down under ‘Your Profile’. Once there, scroll down to ‘About Yourself’ and ‘New Password’. Create one by entering it twice… and you will get a grade. Trust it! WordPress suggests you should be at least seven characters long AND, to make it even stronger, use upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols like ! ” ? $ % ^ & ).
Summary
We’re sure you get the picture, but we couldn’t be more serious & concerned about the securing of passwords. Please, make it a personal priority, if not responsibility. Please, secure your passwords!