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How to Require a Password to Open an Excel File A Step-by-Step Guide_9

Password Protect PDF Lock PDFs with Password Protection

Apart from never reusing passwords, it’s also important to avoid using personal information in your passwords such as your birthdate, pet’s name or any of your loved ones’ names. This is because this information can be easily found online on your social media profiles or on data broker websites. While using personal information in your passwords may make it easier for you to remember your passwords, it’s not worth it to risk having your account compromised. Passwordless authentication has emerged to help eliminate the complexities and vulnerabilities of traditional passwords.

Whether you’re an IT professional or managing an SMB without a dedicated IT team, staying current with password best practices is key to protecting your systems and data. This guide outlines the latest expert-backed recommendations from NIST, CISA, and other trusted sources to help you strengthen your password policies and reduce risk. When done right, password protection can effectively deter hackers and prevent various forms of data breaches.

Avoid using personal information in your passwords

Before we dive into the step-by-step guide, it’s important to understand that once you password-protect your Word document, anyone who wants to open it will need to enter the correct password. This method is effective for preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. She combines her background in digital marketing from DePaul University with a passion for cybersecurity to create content that helps people and businesses stay secure. Her writing covers everything from password best practices to Privileged Access Management (PAM), with a focus on making technical topics easy to understand. Strong, unique passwords are simple to create with a secure password manager.

  • His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.
  • So, instead of making your password “AdamC” (your first name and surname initial), you could use the mnemonic device, “AstronautDrivesArmorMiracleCorduroy,” to remember each word of your passphrase.
  • Continue reading to learn the importance of a strong password and the best practices you should be following to ensure strong password security.
  • You can find these generators for free online or if you decide to invest in a password manager, these tools are built into them.

A hacker who can access one of your accounts can scrounge information that may help them hack another, and the cycle can continue until your entire digital identity is at risk. The truth is, there’s no magic tool that will completely protect your identity if poor habits persist. Real security comes from consistent behavior, thoughtful implementation, and using the right tools to reduce risk. That means educating your users, simplifying secure choices, and designing systems that prioritize usability without compromising safety.

Protect sensitive content

A password manager is a secure encrypted electronic vault, designed to store and organize your passwords across all your devices. It comes with a password generator tool, to help you create strong and randomized passwords. Use the password generator to create strong and unique passwords for all your accounts. • Step 4 – Turn on Multifactor Authentication on all your accounts.

It is still “password.” True randomness—especially when generated by a password manager or cryptographic tool—is much harder to predict or crack. A 16-character passphrase, such as elephants_run_under_blue_sky, is significantly harder to crack than a short, complex password like T3$7#x. Because longer strings exponentially expand the number of combinations, making brute-force attacks computationally expensive and time-consuming. This type of software program records every keystroke made on a computer, including passwords. If a user enters their password while keylogger software runs in the background, a hacker can obtain the password.

Research by security.org shows that more than two in three Americans use the same passwords across multiple accounts, and over 35% share their passwords with other people. These bad habits leave users vulnerable to hacking, with almost 40% of people surveyed saying at least one of their passwords had been guessed or cracked by a hacker. Strong passwords protect your accounts, but it’s your responsibility to protect your passwords. You should avoid sharing them with anyone, including trusted friends and family members, to minimize the risk of leaks.

Using and managing passwords has become a challenge for users as well as IT and security teams. It’s important that users understand the impact of their password security practices. When a password is reused across multiple logins, the hacker who gains access to a single user account will have access to all of that user’s accounts. You can protect your personal information, like tax forms, medical records, and Aadhaar cards, by utilising robust encryption features.

This flow follows similar rules to the registration form, to enable the new password to be recognized by a password manager. For this reason the hash functions chosen for password storage are intentionally slow and difficult to optimize. Following the practices below helps password managers recognize forms they need to interact with, the elements they contain, and the points at which they need to be involved. We’ll cover the requirements for this in our guidelines for the registration flow.

Combine Password Managers with Other Layers

The most important components of strong passwords include sufficient length and a mix of character types. Security experts recommend using passwords or passphrases that combine several words and interchange numbers and symbols but are still easy to remember. Hackers employ various techniques to gain access to your password, such as phishing, social engineering attacks, or installing malware that tracks your keystrokes. They may also acquire your password if it’s leaked in a data breach or exposed on the dark web.

Never include your name, birth year, favorite sports team, or pet’s name. These details are easily found on social media and are often included in password-cracking tools. Let’s say a hacker gets your Gmail password from a breached third-party site where you reused the same credentials. By requiring an additional factor, MFA ensures that even if your password is compromised, an attacker still can’t get in without the https://aliexpressofficial.com/ second piece. These patterns are regularly included in cracking dictionaries and are often the first to be tested during credential stuffing. To sign in, the user enters their username and password using an HTML dedicated to sign-in.

The next time you close and open that specific Excel workbook, you must enter the password you entered in the above macro. Yes, applications like Adobe Acrobat and various third-party tools can encrypt PDF files, often with more features than built-in options. Online services can be convenient but be cautious about uploading sensitive information. Click on the “Save As” option in Edge.In the save dialog, choose “Options” and then select “Encrypt with Password.” The ‘File’ menu is your gateway to various document settings, including security options.

A stronger security method is encryption, with common types being 128-bit key or 256-bit AES encryption. To decrypt the document, authorised users need a key, which is typically a password or a digital certificate. Safeguard your private financial and business reports using Adobe Acrobat’s password protection tool. You can prevent unwanted access and practice data privacy by creating a strong password of your PDF bank statements, invoices, and more.

Plus, it offers powerful protection against hackers, malware, scams, and other online threats. If passwords aren’t strong and kept secure, cybercriminals could gain access to your accounts. This can lead to scams, financial repercussions, or even identity theft. And then there’s the added stress of recovering hacked accounts or a stolen identity. Passphrases are strings of words that can help protect your accounts in the event of password attacks. As a bonus, passphrases are easier to remember, which can also make them useful for securing your home computer or other devices you use most often.