Password Best Practices for Small Businesses

Weak passwords are still the top way in

Stolen and reused passwords are behind a huge share of business breaches. The good news is that fixing this does not require anything fancy, just a few habits and the right tool.

What makes a password strong

• Length beats complexity: a long passphrase like three or four random words is stronger and easier to remember than a short jumble of symbols
• Unique for every account: if one site is breached, a reused password puts every other account at risk
• Not based on personal info: names, birthdays, and the company name are easy to guess

Use a password manager

Nobody can remember a long, unique password for dozens of accounts, and they should not try. A password manager generates and stores strong passwords, fills them in for you, and means your team only has to remember one strong master password.

Pair it with MFA

Even a strong password can leak. Multi-factor authentication adds a second check so a stolen password alone is not enough. Together, a password manager and MFA cover most of the risk.