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The Dangers of Passwords (part 2)
4:10This video introduces tools and strategies to address some of the shortcomings of password-based logins.
In the last video, we explored
the importance of password strength.
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They should be unique, sufficiently
complex, and the longer the better.
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But doing this for every site and
service can lead to password fatigue.
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Many people just don't think it's
worth the inconvenience of coming up
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with long unique passwords for
everything they do.
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And it inevitably leads to the breaches
we discussed in our very first video.
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And one of the biggest risks you
can take is to reuse a password for
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more than one site.
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Imagine that you've created
a really strong password.
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You think it's nearly unbreakable,
so you use it for social media, for
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your email, and for your bank.
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If, for example,
the social media account is breached,
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that password is effectively
out in the open.
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Many attackers can then try what's called
credential stuffing, using an automated
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tool to attempt the username and password
breached from one site on another.
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Now those attackers can
access your bank and email.
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So password uniqueness is just as
important as password strength.
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Password managers are great tools because
they address the convenience security
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trade off directly.
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They reduce the inconvenience and
frustration that can come from
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password fatigue, and
they up your security in the process.
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They're likely better at generating
strong passwords than any human would be.
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Now, with a strong unique password for
each site,
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we're safe from credential stuffing
attacks if a service ever has a breach.
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But that doesn't help for
the hacked site itself.
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Another type of tool exists to protect
your data even if your password
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is out in the open is called
two factor authentication.
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It's more of a feature that you can enable
for sites that support it than it is
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a service you can purchase,
but it is highly recommended.
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Two factor auth is an additional layer
of security on top of your passwords.
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It is often a code that is sent
to you as a text message or
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generated on a device you own,
like your smartphone.
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In fact, you likely already use it
in your life without realizing it.
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It's the reason you carry an ATM card and
use a pin.
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This is how two factor auth often
is used for your online accounts.
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You log into a site with your username and
password.
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The site then prompts you
again to enter a code.
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That code is either texted to you, or
better yet, you have set up a special app
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on your phone that generates these
codes for you every 10 or so seconds.
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You entered that code and
now you're logged in.
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It's a little extra effort upfront.
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But two factor authentication is an
incredibly effective security mechanism.
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Your data is safe even if
your password was leaked or
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even if you were tricked
by a phishing scam.
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I'd like to offer a few additional notes
about password managers, email, and
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security questions.
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Password managers store your secrets,
which make them prime targets for hackers.
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Make sure that you are comfortable with
that level of trust, and you still need to
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be extra cautious with that final password
used to log into the password manager.
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Another security concern to think about
is that your email is often used as your
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personal identity.
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If you lose access to your email or
it's compromised in some way,
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many sites offer password recovery or
reset through your email.
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Your email account would be an ideal
place to start enabling two factor
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authentication for this exact reason.
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As another mode of password reset and
recovery, and even sometimes as a limited
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form of two factor authentication,
sites will ask you security questions.
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They're meant to be questions
that only you would know and
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would have the answers readily available,
but
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would prevent strangers from
attempting to take over your account.
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This may have been effective in the past,
but choosing the right questions and
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answers can often be harder than
generating a strong password.
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And with questions like what is the name
of the high school you went to?
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The answers can often be easily found
on a person's social media profile,
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so be mindful of these questions.
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And when available, we should all be
moving to more secure two factor auth
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options like the co-generating
apps on our smartphones.
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