posted by: David McDougal, Support/SEO
When you think about your website, and the security on that site you probably think of the following:
- Hardware Firewalls
- Honeypots
- User Logins
- SSL (https)
While these are all items that can assist you in securing your site, they all can be for-not if a single crack is opened due to user influence. If you read the eDirectory forums (you do right!), you will recall that we posted a note about passwords. If you have not read the post (click here), it is a good quick reminder on the important, and steps you can take to ensure you have a good solid foundation for user security that compliments the other items you are doing.
Now, I agree that remembering long complicated passwords is difficult. I personally do not like some of the passwords that I use that are 12-13 digits long with capitals, numbers, and letters. For this reason I tend to use a third party software app that plugs into my browser to assist me. There are many options for this, and I encourage you to look around for the option that works best for you. Here are some suggestions on password managers that are tops in their class:
While these programs are not meant to replace using good passwords that you can remember they can be a very helpful option. All of them also have the option of creating the password, and remembering it for you. This (in my opinion) is great, as I end using this option to create 20-30 digit passwords that are so complicated I can barely read them myself. In the end though I am happy that it is that complicated, and I have a tool to remember it.
So, remember that all the security in the world from a server, SSL, firewall etc cannot stop a bad password. Keep them long, keep them complicated, and keep them secure. Your site, and maybe your business depend on it.
