Recently I was assisting one of our customers reset his password in our property management software and when I asked him to pick a new password that follows our security protocol, he said "but I want to use the same password I use on all my accounts!" Wow! With the most recent hacking of Evernote, the popular online note-taking app, and other big dogs such as Apple and Facebook, we know that hackers have gained access to a wide net of usernames and passwords. And if a huge majority of people are using the same usernames and passwords in multiple programs they use, they are putting themselves at risk. We take great care in ensuring our customer’s data is secure and I hope all of you out there are taking great care to protect your sensitive data.
But, just in case, here are my recommendations:
Use different usernames and passwords with each account
Choose complex combinations of letter and numbers and symbols
Don't choose popular phrases like "#1sweetheart"
Save your list of usernames and passwords in a non-connected-to-the-internet device (paper, portable storage)
Change your passwords often
Log out of any accounts before you "surf" to another account
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Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers. You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.
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