One of the easiest and most effective ways to defend yourself and your account information from cyber security risks is to prioritize strong, unique passwords. Here are some tips to help you strengthen your password usage.
Avoid Reusing Passwords
The one habit that really gets people into cyber security trouble is password re-use, especially between financial accounts and other websites. Not all website security is created equal and credentials can be stolen for one website, which puts reused passwords at extremely high risk for being compromised.
Did you know that over 23 million people still use the password, “123456”? (source) Make an effort to use unique passwords whenever you can. Focus on unique characters, mixing capitalized and lower case letters, and numbers. Sound overwhelming? Take advantage of a a password generator and password manager; It takes all the heavy lifting out of trying to think of one yourself!
Understand the Risk
If one website suffers a data breach and your credentials or account information are stolen, they will go up for sale on the dark web quickly. Criminals will then purchase the credentials and try them on other websites hoping for successful access. Criminals are especially likely to use your password and login information on sites where they can move money, buy gift cards or access even more of your personal data.
Add Extra Security
Not only can you create a strong password, but you can take advantage of added security methods like biometrics (thumb print or facial recognition) or multi-factor authentication where you receive a unique code after using your password. Not only are these methods effective, but really convenient, too!
For additional insights, check out this great Creating Passwords publication from CISA and remember to do your part. #BeCyberSmart
Cyber Security with First Bankers Trust Company, N.A.
We understand the importance of your bank accounts and to do our part to help keep your information secure, our customers can use our encrypted site (look for https in the url), user name and password authentication plus behavioral and device multi-factor authentication, detailed verification at time of sign up, and additional security questions at account access. Plus with the FBTC Mobile App, you can safely use biometrics like face or fingerprint ID.
For tips like these and more, visit our Security and Alerts page. Have questions or need help? Submit a Contact Us form and our team will be in touch!