• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Passion For Business Logo

Small Business Consulting for the Entrepreneur

  • About Us
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Meet Aly Greenstreet
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Home
  • Consulting
    • Small Business Development & Strategy Consulting
    • Marketing Strategy Consulting for Small Business
    • Small Business Consulting Programs
    • Compass Master Program
    • How to Select a Small Business Coach or Consultant
    • Industries We Serve
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant?
    • FAQ
  • Coaching
    • How Coaching Works
    • Quiz: Are You Ready for Coaching?
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant
    • Small Business Consulting Programs
    • Mentor Coaching For Coaches
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
    • Are You Ready to Take the Leap and Grow Your Business?
    • Discover the Missing Link
    • Setting and Raising Your Fees
    • Speed Up Growth: Start a Mastermind Group
  • Training
  • Speaking
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Clients
    • Locations
    • Testimonials
  • About Us
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Meet Aly Greenstreet
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Home
  • Consulting
    • Small Business Development & Strategy Consulting
    • Marketing Strategy Consulting for Small Business
    • Small Business Consulting Programs
    • Compass Master Program
    • How to Select a Small Business Coach or Consultant
    • Industries We Serve
    • Small Business Coach vs. Consultant – What’s the Difference?
    • FAQ
  • Coaching
    • How Coaching Works
    • Quiz: Are You Ready for Coaching?
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant
    • Small Business Consulting Programs
    • Mentor Coaching For Coaches
    • FAQ About Small Business Coaching and How it Works
    • Industries We Serve
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
    • Setting and Raising Your Fees
    • Discover the Missing Link
    • Are You Ready to Take the Leap? Business Self-Assessment
    • Speed Up Growth: Start a Mastermind Group
  • Compass Master Program
  • Speaking
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Clients
    • Locations
    • Testimonials
Home > Self-Employed Success Blog > Running a Strong & Efficient Business > Create Strong Passwords
Someone Stole My Site: How To Defend Yourself When Someone Plagiarizes Your Website Text & create strong passwords

Create Strong Passwords

Karyn Greenstreet

As a small business owner, you can’t afford to have your identity or business information stolen. Using the internet to help run your business is absolutely necessary, but being lax about the passwords you use on banking, hosting and other business sites is short-sighted and dangerous.

So, what makes a good, strong password, one that a hacker is unlikely to discover? Microsoft recommends several strategies in their article:

  • We all know not to use our children or pet’s name. In addition, don’t use any word in the dictionary, and refrain from using common words with numbers at the beginning or end of them (like 25melon or george153) as your password.
  • On systems that ask you to change your password every 30 days, don’t re-use passwords you’ve used in the past. Even if a site does not require you to change your password monthly, it’s a good idea to change it every few months anyway.
  • When creating a password, use 7 or 8 characters, and a combination of alphabetical characters (A to Z), numerical characters (0 to 90, and symbols. Using upper and lower case letters makes it even stronger. For instance, TiMp39AyCgi is a great password. How in the world would I remember such a complicated password? TIMP stands for “this is my password”, 39 was the year my mother was born, and AYCGI stands for “and you can’t get it”. See? It can be easy to create and remember strong passwords if you just get a little creative.
  • Finally, don’t store your passwords in a file on your PC. If your PC is compromised by hackers via the internet, they can easily find and open that file, and steal all your passwords in one fell-swoop. If you must create a file on your PC to store your passwords, password-protect THAT file with a strong password.

And remember, if you ever have to give any of these passwords to employees or contractors, change them as soon as the employee or contractor no longer needs to use them.

Filed Under: Running a Strong & Efficient Business

Previous Post: «Learning to Tolerate the Ambiguity Learning to Tolerate the Ambiguity
Next Post: Compass Round-Up Compass Round up»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martin Haworth

    June 29, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    Hi Karen

    Great advice. There are some free password generators you can download to your desktop that are great in the complexity of the passwords.

    I then store them in a bulletproof password protected file online (hidden on a web page).

    I also use shortkeys.com so that my keystrokes are minimised (it’s incredibly useful for all sorts of shorthand).

    Nothing is completely safe and I’ve been guilty of having work done on a website and failing to change the password too – simply forgot or just lazy really.

    • Karyn Greenstreet

      June 29, 2012 at 3:48 pm

      Great ideas, Martin! Thanks!

Footer

Services

Small Business Consulting
Small Business Coaching
Compass Master Program
Mentor Coaching for Coaches

FAQ

What is Coaching?
Small Business Coach vs Consultant
Industries We Serve

Resources

Self Employed Success Blog
Free Ebook: Discover the Missing Link
Free video tutorial: Setting and Raising Your Fees
Free Tutorial: Start a Mastermind Group

Connect

+1 (610) 381-4332

Email Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Site Footer

Copyright © 2021, Karyn Greenstreet, All rights reserved. This entire website copyrighted: United States Copyright Registration Number PAU3-147-048.
Privacy and Cookie Policy