Password Security : Your First Line Protection

Password Security is Mandatory for everyone as it is the first line of protecting either your facebook account or financial bank account, Here,  we want to share what Facebook Chief Security Office (and NCSA Board Member) Joe Sullivan shares his top tips for protecting your password.

If there was any doubt on the incredible power of social networking, consider that there are over 3,200,000,000 likes and comments everyday on Facebook around the world, over 1 trillion friendship connections, and over 300 million photos uploaded to the site every day.

Facebook is a place where people can connect and share with the people, places and things that matter to them.

At Facebook, security is a top priority for us and we invest considerable resources in making Facebook safe and secure. This is why we are proud to partner in the Australian Government’s 2013 National Cyber-Security Awareness Week, this week from 20^th May to 24^th 2013 - http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/awareness_week.

The theme for 2013 National Cyber-Security Awareness Week is password protection. Making sure that your password is secure is one of the first and best ways to protect your Facebook account.

You are the first line of defense in protecting your account. On Facebook, you have great power – you can connect and share with people, places and things around the world in real time. Facebook allows the world to be more open and connected by giving its users the tools to interact and share in any conceivable way. And, to paraphrase a certain the superhero, with great power comes great responsibility.

Just as a city paints sidewalks, and pedestrians look both ways before crossing the street, security on Facebook is a responsibility shared between Facebook and the people who use its platform. My team and I work tirelessly every day to help make your Facebook account, and the accounts of the millions and millions of people who use Facebook every day keep their accounts and information secure. But we need your help – we need you to own your own space and take control of your protection.

Findings that people rarely change their Facebook password, that they use common names, and that they often have the same password across a range of online accounts suggests that we all have more work to do in promoting awareness and action among Australians in taking strong measures to protect their passwords and Facebook accounts.

Here are my top tips for what you should do to protect your password:

1.             Use strong passwords

2.             Don’t use the same password for ALL of your accounts

3.             Don’t share your password with friends

4.             Change your password regularly

5.             Consider storing your password in a password tool

6.             Add a security question and your mobile phone number in the ACCOUNT SETTINGS of your Facebook account in case you forget your password.  (Check out our Help Center for more information:https://www.facebook.com/help/468990756445751/andhttps://www.facebook.com/help/162968940433354/?q=mobile%20security&sid=0LrqIDj6FZxSGvwmk)

7.             Login Approvals: If you log in from an unrecognized device, this system sends a code to your mobile device that you must enter in order to complete the log in.

Using a good password is something that you should do everyplace you visit on the Internet, not just Facebook. Creating a good password is fairly simple. You want it to be complex enough that it can’t be guessed, yet meaningful enough that you can actually remember it. A good password has at least eight characters, one or more numbers, and at least one special character. For more information about how to choose a strong password, checkout this section of our Help Centre - https://www.facebook.com/help/124904560921566

You should also consider using some of the additional security features that Facebook offers, such as login approvals. If you turn on login approvals, you'll be asked to enter a special login code each time you try to access your Facebook account from a new computer or mobile phone. After you log in, you'll have the option to give that device a name and save it to your account. You won't have to enter a code when you log into any of these recognized devices.

You can access security features by logging into your Facebook account, clicking the drop down in the upper-right corner, and selecting "Account Settings" and then selecting the "Security" tab or by visiting www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security

Beyond this, we want you to adopt the mantra: Stop. Think. Connect. Facebook has a ton to offer people, and with a little bit of commonsense you can stay safe and secure. We hope you find this guide useful. Please join the conversation by visiting the Facebook Security Page atwww.facebook.com/security.


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