Each day is a new battle for the security team of Google, the Google cyber security team has to deal with advanced persistent threats and skiddies which want to gain information via social engineering techniques, so it is not weird that Google has a standard for security operations, and guess what, they have published a “public” version which holds tips on how to secure yourself on the internet and while you are offline.

Safe passwords

The Google security team explains that safe passwords are the first line of defense against cybercriminals, and they are right. Passwords will add an security layer to your environment, and this means that it gets harder for unauthorized people to gain access to specific data.

If the unauthorized person does not have the password, he will be unable to login, but there are some important things you need to keep in mind when you are crafting your first password.

Various researches over the years have proven that simple passwords like “Admin”, “1234” and “admin” simply will not protect any user. Cybercriminals have good knowledge on which passwords are often used, the cybercriminals get this information via experience and by simply reading the reports on passwords safety which are published each year.

The cybercriminals or hackers are able to use brute force attacks to force their ways into the user accounts. The brute force attacks will use lists or codes which will generate passwords like “Admin” and “1234”.

Passwords like “admin” are easily cracked, but if you take a password like “[email protected]!”, it will be very hard for the cybercriminals to brute force it.

The Google Security team listed up these tips for Passwords:

• Use a unique password for each important account like email and online banking
• Keep your passwords in a secret place that isn’t easily visible
• Use a long password made up of numbers, letters and symbols
• Try using phrases that only you know
• Set up password recovery options

Signing in and out

The Google  cyber security team also explained that it is important to sign-out when you are done using a service. Staying logged in while not using a service only increases the chance of getting your account hijacked / hacked.

The team also explained that it is important to use secure networks when possible and to stay vigilant and aware when using unsecured networks. It is NOT wise to exchange / login at important environments via unsecured networks. Hackers and cybercriminals are able to perform man in the middle attacks which allows them to see all the information which you are sending and receiving, this includes seeing your passwords and financial credentials.