In an increasingly digital world, we&rsquo;re switching more and more of our daily lives over to the Internet. While this brave new world is exciting and convenient, it&rsquo;s not without its problems.&nbsp;
The issue of unsafe passwords has been around for a while. But have you ever thought about where and how to store them?
Most of us have several passwords, and we&rsquo;re encouraged to never duplicate them. Some people simply write them all down on a piece of paper &mdash; which is fraught with danger. But others store their passwords electronically.
As you&rsquo;re about to find out, not all electronic systems of password storage are <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-do-to-keep-passwords-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>. Here are five of the most dangerous ways to store your passwords.&nbsp;
But before we begin:
Avoid bad idea passwords and dangerous storage methods with TeamPassword. This advanced <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager</a> features a selection of security features, including password encryption and two-step verification. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">free trial</a> today.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Email</h2>
Have you ever emailed yourself a password to ensure you&rsquo;re never without it? Great idea, right? Actually, emailing yourself your passwords is a really bad idea, and here&rsquo;s why:
<ul>
<li>Emails are usually sent in plain text. Without encryption, your passwords are susceptible if your email account is ever compromised.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsafe passwords sent via email often pass through several systems and servers. There&rsquo;ll also be a copy in your sent folder. If someone else can access your email account, your passwords become vulnerable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Some email platforms store data locally on a drive. If someone steals your computer, phone, or tablet, your passwords become vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
A really bad idea for passwords is to send them via email &mdash; either to yourself or someone else. <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hackers </a>and scammers are more resourceful than ever, and they can often steal your information before you realize you&rsquo;ve been compromised.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s tempting to send a quick email to yourself containing unsafe passwords when you sign up for new online services. For the sake of an extra minute or two, don&rsquo;t give fraudsters easy access to your accounts. Use an encrypted email vault to safeguard all your passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Online Documents</h2>
A lot of people like the convenience of saving crucial information using online document systems such as Google Docs. But this is a bad idea for passwords, as these systems are designed for text &mdash; not sensitive data.
Yes, a password might protect your online document manager from unauthorized access. But what happens if that password is compromised? Many document software platforms don&rsquo;t offer encryption, two-step verification, or even the most basic security measures.&nbsp;
If you use online documents regularly, you&rsquo;re probably accessing your account on a regular basis &mdash; across several devices. What happens if you step away for a moment to buy a coffee, speak to a friend, or use the bathroom?
A criminal can access an unattended online document platform in seconds. And if this happens, it doesn't take a lot of effort to steal your unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Instant Messaging Service</h2>
Instant messaging services provide us with a convenient way of staying in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat were designed for private online conversations &mdash; not for storing passwords.
People who store their passwords on these apps do so because they believe they&rsquo;re fully encrypted. While that&rsquo;s often the case, it&rsquo;s important to remember that instant messaging services are often left open and operating in the background.
Imagine someone picks up your phone while you&rsquo;re not paying attention. If you left your device unlocked, that person would be able to access your password in seconds.
It&rsquo;s always a bad idea when passwords are stored on instant messaging services. By nature, these apps are designed to operate in the background &mdash; alerting you when someone sends a message. And because they&rsquo;re open, anyone with the device in their hand might be able to steal your unprotected passwords.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t fall into the trap of utilizing bad ideas for password storage. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> with TeamPassword, and give your unsafe passwords the protection they require.
<h2>4. Online Note-taker</h2>
Developers design online note-takers for everyday lists and reminders. While they&rsquo;re great for creating to-do and shopping lists, they&rsquo;re not so good for storing unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
An app such as Apple Notes is easy to use, accessible, and convenient. But it doesn&rsquo;t offer two-step authentication, encryption, or any sophisticated form of security.&nbsp;
If your computer or mobile device is unlocked, your saved passwords are vulnerable. In many cases, a criminal would simply need to open the app to gain access to your sensitive information.&nbsp;
OK, you might be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping your phone or computer locked. But hackers are resourceful, and they&rsquo;re very good at discovering unsafe passwords. Once they access your phone, any passwords stored in your note-taking app become vulnerable.&nbsp;
<h2>5. On a Non-Password-Protected Device</h2>
Of all the bad ideas for passwords, storing them on non-password-protected devices is about the worst. You might think that your tablet or laptop never leaves your side. But if your device is ever stolen, you&rsquo;ve given the criminals the easiest possible opportunity to access your saved passwords.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re determined to store passwords on a physical device &mdash; which is never a good idea &mdash; make sure the device password is a complex combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. And it should contain at least 12 characters.&nbsp;
<h2>Use TeamPassword for Extra Protection</h2>
Remembering and safely storing a dozen or more passwords isn&rsquo;t a simple task. By locking away all your passwords in a digital vault, you get maximum protection and easy access.&nbsp;
TeamPassword offers a range of <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security features</a> &mdash; designed to keep your passwords safe. Offering two-step authentication and encryption, this powerful protection system solves the problem of unsafe passwords with ease. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> to see these exciting features for yourself.&nbsp;

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. | TeamPassword Blog

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. ...

Top 5 Dangerous Ways to Store Your Passwords

Though businesses understand the importance of keeping their confidential data safe, many IT managers and entrepreneurs tend to focus their cybersecurity resources on day to day activities, allowing less common one-off tasks to fall by the wayside.

When you&rsquo;re hiring new employees, especially if they&rsquo;ll be working remotely, keeping your network secure must take absolute priority for the long-term safety of your business and your employees.

Here, we&rsquo;ll take a closer look at how collaboration between HR and IT departments is essential to a seamless onboarding process and the longevity of your data.
[Table of Contents]
<ul>
<li>Understanding the onboarding process</li>
<li>Ensuring data security in onboarding</li>
<li>IT department responsibilities in implementing security measures</li>
</ul>
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<h2 id="understandonboarding">Understanding the Onboarding Process</h2>
Though they may not be cybersecurity experts, the role of a modern HR professional is closely intertwined with some of the major security concerns that businesses like yours are up against.

The administrative responsibilities of HR departments in onboarding new employees, such as collecting personal data and processing contracts, tend to create huge stores of sensitive information. HR departments need to be actively protecting this data and ensuring compliance with relevant privacy laws.

Many modern companies like to streamline their onboarding process with employee software like <a href="https://www.ultrahr.com/features/employee-management/new-employee-onboarding-software/">Ultra HR</a>, which comes with &ldquo;several layers of security and business continuity&rdquo; built-in to defend from breaches. However, this doesn&rsquo;t protect from human error and complacency that could cause issues later on.

State-level legislation like the <a href="http://godaddy.com/help/what-does-ccpa-mean-for-my-business-32310">CCPA</a>, and international directives like GDPR, mean that any onboarding process needs to abide by strict regulations when it comes to handling employee data.

To proactively ensure the onboarding process is as secure as possible, HR professionals should familiarize themselves with regulations surrounding key areas of personal data security, such as:

<ul>
<li>
Personal data encryption and how HR software ensures this
</li>
<li>
Data erasure and the &lsquo;right to be forgotten&rsquo;
</li>
<li>
Employee consent
</li>
<li>
Data quality checks
</li>
<li>
Protections against data loss
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="ensuredata">Ensuring Data Security in Onboarding</h2>
Whenever a new employee joins your organization, you&rsquo;ll need to do everything in your power to prevent attacks or breaches targeting confidential data. Aside from getting new hires familiar with your at-work cybersecurity policies and teaching them smart data management, it&rsquo;s essential that you have a plan in place for employee access control.

Access control is all about preventing sensitive information from being accessed from outside actors. Enacting a good access control policy is a challenge for many IT managers, as it requires a balance between employees having the data and apps they need to do their job, and robust <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-password-security-Teampassword">security measures</a> to ensure effective prevention and response.

Two of the most serious kinds of data breaches of in your onboarding process include:

Phishing scams: Phishing scams represent a huge proportion of all cybersecurity attacks, for one simple reason: they tend to work! Even if it&rsquo;s rare that your organization gets targeted by these kinds of scams, it&rsquo;s essential that it&rsquo;s addressed in the onboarding process, and that all employees are able to recognize the signs of phishing attacks should they arise.

Unauthorized access identity attacks: Identity based attacks are extremely hard to detect, as they work by using a valid user&rsquo;s access credentials to compromise sensitive information, often making it look like a trusted employee is carrying out a completely normal process as part of their work. As it&rsquo;s easy for these kinds of attacks to slip through the net, your organization has to take strong measures against unauthorized access, such as <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/best-password-managers-for-teams">maintaining a strong password</a> policy, using a reputable password manager like <a href="https://teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a>, and using rule-based alerts to detect suspicious activity.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/NPlMuYbmQ4O58jYiTt3g" alt="undefined" width="674" height="450">
<h2 id="ITresponsibilities">What are the responsibilities of the IT department in implementing security measures?</h2>
Though every employee and department has a role to play in organization-wide security, the essential preventative and responsive measures are the responsibility of the IT department.&nbsp;

Here are some of the most crucial steps you&rsquo;ll need to bear in mind to make sure your employee onboarding process doesn&rsquo;t create unnecessary security risks&hellip;
<h3>Setting Up Secure Access Controls</h3>
To ensure the onboarding process stays as secure as possible, IT departments must find a robust access management solution that safeguards sensitive data while also being able to maintain a seamless experience for the user, whether that be your employees or the end customers using your systems.

Within this solution, IT managers must also decide on clearly-defined policies adapted to different data sets used by your company. These policies should cover details such as which users, teams, or projects should be included or excluded from a certain policy, what pieces of software the policy applies to, and what kind of employee actions the policy is relevant to.

With secure access controls serving the security needs of your business, you&rsquo;ll be able to use templates and automation to make the onboarding process both safe and efficient.

<h3>Configuring Devices</h3>
In the post-Covid business landscape, it&rsquo;s more and more common for remote employees to use personal devices for their work. In this scenario, it&rsquo;s essential to make sure these devices are configured with the right security measures to protect your most valuable data.

Unsecured WiFi networks, malicious or fake apps, and unsecure cross-usage between work and personal files, are all potential security risks you&rsquo;ll need to enforce against. Be sure to communicate these risks to HR and ensure that your device policy involves configuring all devices to the same high standard.
<h3>Monitoring Network Activities</h3>
Like any business, your network is going to be host to countless requests, data transfers, and other kinds of activity, all of which can be the vessel for malicious attacks.&nbsp;

A robust set of Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) tools and policies will help you maintain an accurate record of what&rsquo;s happening in your network and detect malicious activity, while also helping you troubleshoot common issues that can lead to your network slowing down and sapping productivity.

Though it may not affect most employees&rsquo; work directly, covering your NTA activities as part of the onboarding process can help them understand the kinds of threats faced by your business and keep them vigilant wherever their role warrants it.
<h3>Implementing a Secure Offboarding Process</h3>
Though fairly uncommon, some serious security breaches come from former employees who weren&rsquo;t offboarded properly. Sooner or later, every worker who&rsquo;s privy to sensitive data will leave your organization, and it&rsquo;s important to make sure you have a set of policies in place that will deactivate the user completely.

Your offboarding checklist should ensure that passwords are changed on all the employees&rsquo; shared accounts, that former employees can no longer access company applications and files, and that the employee is logged out of active online sessions. There should also be a set process for retrieving all laptops, USBs, and other devices owned by the company.
<h2>Secure From The Start&hellip;</h2>
Protecting a company&rsquo;s sensitive data requires contributions from across the organization, especially in today&rsquo;s remote-first landscape. By keeping these pointers in mind, you&rsquo;ll be able to build a robust and collaborative security culture at your business, and ensure your employees are staying safe from day one.

Collaboration between HR and IT departments is essential to a seamless onboarding process and the longevity of your data. Here's why.

Collaboration between HR and IT departments is essential to a seamless onboarding process and the longevity of your ...

The Role of HR and IT in Collaborative Onboarding Security

Collaboration between HR and IT departments is essential to a seamless onboarding process and the longevity of your data. Here's why and how it should be done.

There are countless cybersecurity threats facing modern companies, and with a huge <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2022/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2022" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">39% of UK businesses</a> reporting a cyberattack through 2021 and 2022, this isn&rsquo;t an issue that startup owners can afford to ignore.

Hackers, fraudsters, and all manner of other cybercriminals know that startups have limited resources and a focus on risk-taking and innovation, often making them soft targets for attacks.&nbsp;

Though reviewing your cybersecurity capabilities may not be the most exciting part of developing your startup, it&rsquo;s essential to protect your assets and ensure your future ability to scale.

In this post, we&rsquo;ll go over five of the most important cybersecurity tips that startups need to take on board.
The five essential tips are to:
<ul>
<li>Ensure your cybersecurity policy is compliant with regulations</li>
<li>Create and enforce a strong password policy, ideally using a password manager</li>
<li>Train your employees about cybersecurity and update that knowledge regularly</li>
<li>Use and enforce a VPN for your entire team</li>
<li>Fina a reliable firewall and use it</li>
</ul>
<h3>Table of Contents</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="#compliance" rel="follow">Ensure Regulatory Compliance</a></li>
<li><a href="#passwordpolicy" rel="follow">Create and Enforce a Strong Password Policy</a></li>
<li><a href="#trainemployees" rel="follow">Train Your Employees and Keep Them In The Know</a></li>
<li><a href="#usevpn" rel="follow">Use and Enforce a VPN</a></li>
<li><a href="#usefirewall" rel="follow">Find a Reliable Firewall</a></li>
<li><a href="#finalthoughts" rel="follow">Final Thoughts</a></li>
</ul>

<img height="401" width="602" src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/NUMg6tIYRfqFnFrRiWXl">
Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Im_cQ6hQo10" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Unsplash.com</a>
<h2 id="compliance">Ensure Regulatory Compliance</h2>
One of the most straightforward and important things small businesses should do for their cybersecurity in those early days is to research security compliance requirements and plan a thorough review to get the business aligned with them.

Whether your operations begin and end in the UK or you&rsquo;re a global business interacting with customers and entities all over the world, there&rsquo;ll be many different laws and regulations you&rsquo;ll need to ensure compliance with, including but not limited to:

<ul>
<li>
GDPR: A far-reaching piece of legislation aimed at protecting peoples&rsquo; personal data and giving them greater control over how this is used by businesses. Compliance will require you to maintain policies about deleting unnecessary data after a certain period of time, giving customers the option to have their personal data deleted, and ensuring certain protections against breaches.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
PCI DSS: An information protocol that sets minimum security controls over the personal data of cardholders, with the aim to prevent the theft or loss of cardholder data. Any business that processes cardholder data through online payments must ensure compliance with this initiative.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
SOC 2: If you&rsquo;re in the SaaS niche or provide other tech services to third parties, you&rsquo;ll need to show SOC 2 compliance to prove you&rsquo;ve taken adequate steps to protect user data and ensure the privacy of your clients.
</li>
</ul>

&lsquo;Cyber threats are everywhere and are becoming more sophisticated and complicated by the day&rsquo;, states cybersecurity support experts <a href="https://www.counterpoint.co.uk/pages/cyber-security" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Counterpoint</a>. Ensuring compliance can be a long and complex process, but it&rsquo;s essential if you want to have a robust general level of cybersecurity at your company.&nbsp;

Whether you hire a contractor to spearhead a compliance project yourself or seek compliance certification services from a company, knowing your requirements and getting your business aligned with them is an essential step for any startup.&nbsp;

<h2 id="passwordpolicy">Create and Enforce a Strong Password Policy</h2>
Passwords are one of the most universal layers of security that every business relies on to ensure their privacy, and this makes them a prime target for cybercriminals. Though the name of the band you formed in uni followed by &lsquo;123&rsquo; may have served you well so far, it&rsquo;s important that the passwords protecting your business assets are kept to a higher standard and not inviting opportunistic hackers.

To <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">make passwords hard to crack</a>, it&rsquo;s important to enforce clear rules about complexity, such as requiring passwords that are at least eight characters long, with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, and at least one number and special character each.

Aside from enforcing these standards with the passwords themselves, it&rsquo;s also a good idea to use an extra layer of security in the form of a password management system. These tools, like our own <a href="https://teampassword.com/features" rel="follow">TeamPassword</a>, allow you and your team to generate strong passwords whenever it&rsquo;s time to refresh them and keep these passwords in a secure location where they&rsquo;re only available to people who certifiably need them.

<img height="328" width="515" src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/goYyrdrQvaxfRjrTLBAk">
<h2 id="trainemployees">Train Your Employees and Keep Them In The Know</h2>
Many small business owners have a tendency to think that all their most valuable digital assets begin and end in the upper echelons of the business. However, breaches can come from practically any team and any individual within your business, especially if they&rsquo;re not adequately trained to recognize security weaknesses or the signs of an attempted cyberattack.

The specific risks you&rsquo;re most likely to come up against will depend largely on your industry, company size, and other variables. But no matter the specifics of your business, it&rsquo;s important to remember that any of your employees could be at the center of a serious breach.&nbsp;

<img height="401" width="602" src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/XnkybOQkqipKnUxZsSYA">
Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/iar-afB0QQw" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Unsplash.com</a>

Lost devices, opening phishing emails, and simply falling victim to cleverly-worded fraudulent communications, can all lead to damaging employee-initiated attacks. To make sure you&rsquo;re protecting your assets from any possibility of internal threats, it&rsquo;s important to invest in cybersecurity training at all levels of your business, covering everything from the basics of your device policy to the more nuanced schemes that cybercriminals can use to trick people into divulging sensitive information.

For more detailed information on making sure your entire workforce is staying smart about cybersecurity threats, check out this helpful guide from <a href="https://cybeready.com/complete-guide-cyber-awareness" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Cyber Ready</a>.
<h2 id="usevpn">Use and Enforce a VPN</h2>
In the modern business arena, more people are working remotely than ever before, and this is especially true when it comes to small businesses.&nbsp;

Having a workforce who&rsquo;s spread around the world and could be working from any private network they choose multiplies the potential points for entry that cybercriminals can use to steal your data and disrupt your operations.&nbsp;

In order to patch this vulnerability, getting a business-grade VPN (Virtual Private Network) like Nord can help you provide your workers with secure access to your online assets no matter where their internet access is rooted. Furthermore, you can provide access to clients during meetings in public spaces, minimizing the risk to their data through their interactions with your business.

<img height="401" width="602" src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/YDPgyqESRlyHYEV3fcnu">
Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/z-upQITw4fY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Unsplash.com</a>

Furthermore, getting a VPN will allow your employees to access geographically-restricted online content in the course of their work. This means that if you have a remote-working international team, with some people based in nations where UK-hosted content is restricted, you can enable them to browse the web in the same way as your other workers, ensuring a more seamless, collaborative experience.
<h2 id="usefirewall">Find a Reliable Firewall</h2>
Firewalls are security elements that work by monitoring all traffic coming in and out of your organization&rsquo;s IT network, flagging suspicious activity and preventing viruses from causing any serious damage.

Firewalls have been a mainstay of business cybersecurity setups for years now, not least of all because of how effective they are at deterring the most common threats that companies of all sizes have to deal with.&nbsp;

By communicating threats as they arise to other security systems, reducing the entry points for viruses by blocking harmful websites, and more, getting a good firewall will instantly improve the overall security of your operations and probably save you from at least one disaster as you work to develop your business.

There are many variables to consider when finding a firewall that&rsquo;s right for your needs, such as the size of your team, your access to in-house IT expertise, and any cybersecurity products that you may already have in place. To maximize your chances of a long and hassle-free relationship with your company&rsquo;s firewall, be sure to research your options thoroughly, and where possible seek expert advice to better understand how different features can fit the needs of your business.
<h2 id="finalthoughts">Final Thoughts&hellip;</h2>
Cybersecurity can be easy to forget when you&rsquo;re in that intense initial period of developing your business, but it&rsquo;s just as essential as the basic systems that make your business tick.

We hope these tips have made life easier as you build a solid foundation for your startup&rsquo;s cybersecurity, and helped you towards developing a more comprehensive strategy in the future.

Most startups have limited resources, making them soft targets for cyberattacks. These tips will help you improve your startup's defenses.

Cyberattacks are on the rise, which means startup owners cannot afford to ignore cybersecurity. Here are five essential ...

5 Essential Cybersecurity Tips for Startups

Cyberattacks are on the rise, which means startup owners cannot afford to ignore cybersecurity. Here are five essential tips to improve your startups cybersecurity.

Every modern business has digital assets, and those assets come with cybersecurity vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

As a start-up owner, you&rsquo;re probably rearing to dive head first into some of your most ambitious and exciting business ideas, but before you do, it&rsquo;s essential that you first establish a basic safety net to keep threats at bay and your systems running efficiently.

In this guide, we&rsquo;ll take a closer look at the need for cybersecurity for small businesses, and how you can formulate an effective cybersecurity strategy from day one.
Here are the most important steps to take when building a cybersecurity strategy for your startup:
<ul>
<li>Understand what your cybersecurity strategy needs to include</li>
<li>Review the systems and tools you currently have in place</li>
<li>Add additional systems and tools to fill any gaps</li>
<li>Provide regular cybersecurity training to your employees</li>
</ul>
<h3>Table of Contents</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="#whatis" rel="follow">What is a Cybersecurity Strategy?</a></li>
<li><a href="#howto" rel="follow">How to Build a Cybersecurity Strategy for Your Start-Up</a></li>
<li><a href="#reviewyour" rel="follow">Review Your Technical Defenses</a></li>
<li><a href="#makeeveryone" rel="follow">Make Cybersecurity Everyone's Business</a></li>
<li><a href="#putfirst" rel="follow">Putting Security First</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="whatis">What Is a Cybersecurity Strategy?</h2>
Simply put, a cybersecurity strategy is a set of plans and established practices aimed at guaranteeing the continuation of a business&rsquo;s IT systems in the face of cyber threats.&nbsp;

Typically headed by a CISO (or the company founders in the case of a start-up) this strategy will outline preventative measures that a business will take in order to minimize their risks, keep their assets secure, and ensure swift and effective responses in the case of a cyber attack happening.&nbsp;

With the global cybersecurity sector expected to <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/25/2654196/0/en/Global-Cybersecurity-Mesh-Market-Report-2023-Sector-is-Expected-to-Reach-3-1-Billion-by-2028-at-a-CAGR-of-27-5.html" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">reach $3.1 billion in the next 5 years</a>, the scope and development of cybersecurity threats is a force to be reckoned with, and it&rsquo;s essential for businesses of all sizes to formulate strategies that ensure privacy and data security, require the authentication of all employees, and mobilize training resources to instill the most important best practices for all situations.

With a robust cybersecurity policy, start-ups can rely on a number of direct benefits for their business, including:

Operations Continuity: With the huge scope of threats in the modern cybersecurity landscape, it&rsquo;s more a matter of when you&rsquo;ll have to deal with an attack, rather than if. With a reliable security strategy in place, your business will ensure that its operations will be able to survive the worst onslaughts of hacking attempts and cybercrime, and keep trading as usual.

Meet Regulations: Every business sector has certain security regulations that it has to comply with, especially when it comes to ensuring the privacy of customers and employees. With the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/02/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-national-cybersecurity-strategy/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">White House recently announcing a national cybersecurity strategy</a>, new regulations are sure to come. Making sure that your business complies with this legislation is one of the fundamental aspects of any effective cybersecurity strategy.

Instill Trust In Customers: Airtight privacy policies and a lack of recorded breaches will earn the trust of your existing customers and new ones, helping you to uphold people&rsquo;s confidence in your brand.

Maintain Productivity: Severe cyberattacks can put your operations on hold and bring your business grinding to a halt. With reliable cybersecurity, you&rsquo;ll be able to mitigate the effects of cyberattacks, and minimize the downtime caused by breaches.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/ENqqd4TutwHP6GU0gVgw" alt="undefined">
<h2 id="howto">How to Build a Cybersecurity Strategy for Your Start-Up</h2>
Cybersecurity can fall by the wayside in those high-intensity early days of building a startup, but without a reliable strategy in place, you could be burdening your business with an intolerable degree of risk.

Here&rsquo;s the most important phases of building a cybersecurity strategy for your startup.
<h3>Develop Your Framework</h3>
All cybersecurity strategies revolve around a cybersecurity framework - a set of documents and policies that relevant personnel can refer back to in order to know how to handle various threats, where responsibilities lie in given situations, and how the wider organization should react when threats emerge.

The particulars of your framework will depend on the nature of your business, but by and large, strategy frameworks should always include a few core elements:

Incident Response Plan: Incident response plans are the documents which outline the steps your start-up needs to take in the event of an attack or breach.&nbsp;

This should include various scenarios and details for escalation, the responses necessary to contain the breach, and the steps that should be taken to communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

Access Controls According to Role: As a fledgling startup, there may not be a lot of distinction between the roles of your employees at present, but establishing user access control will quickly become important as your business begins to scale. These controls are used to create a system to manage who has access to the most sensitive information or assets owned by your organization.

The degree of access afforded to different teams or individuals at your startup will often be a matter of common sense. Your financial team won&rsquo;t need access to your employees&rsquo; right to work documentation or addresses, but your HR people will. A more important part of this is backing up your access controls with the correct tools and resources, such as robust authenticators, <a href="https://teampassword.com/pricing" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">password management systems</a>, and more.

Regular Vulnerability Checks: Even the most well-thought-out security frameworks need to be backed up by regular testing for vulnerabilities, and making sure that your cybersecurity is up to the challenges it could be facing.

Advanced data analytics can provide a great benefit in this area, as it will allow you to monitor your business&rsquo;s soft spots in real time. This will ensure that any new potential threats will be detected as quickly as possible, giving you the insights you need to stay one step ahead of hackers, streamline the processes needed for an effective reaction, and strengthen your business security on all fronts.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/kFlPpPSOSyauD7x6oibp" alt="undefined">
<h2 id="reviewyour">Review Your Technical Defenses</h2>
Next up, we have the more hands-on and practical phase of building your cybersecurity strategy - reviewing and strengthening the tools and systems that are actually going to defend your business from threats.

Some of the key examples of security software you may want to review and acquire include:

<ul>
<li>
Password Managers to create, store, and share encrypted passwords with your team.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
Firewalls to protect your systems from unauthorized access and hacking.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
Intrusion Detection Systems so you can get better visibility of unauthorized access attempts.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) that will allow remote workers to access company resources without compromising sensitive assets.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
Two-Factor Authentication to add a secondary layer of protection to anyone logging into company systems.
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
SSLs (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt any data that moves between your site and its users.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Importance of Regular Backups</h3>
On the subject of reviewing your defenses, it&rsquo;s also essential to have a system for regularly backing up your crucial data, and ensuring it can be recovered in the event of an attack, system failure, or data loss from another cause.

According to cloud computing firm <a href="https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/cost-of-data-loss/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Acronis</a>, even small data loss incidents &ldquo;can cost a business an average of $18,120 to $35,730&rdquo;, depending on the scope of the assets at risk.

When you&rsquo;re still grinding to take your business from bright ideas to a profitable reality, this isn&rsquo;t the kind of risk you can afford to take. To make sure you have ample protection from this kind of event, be sure to find a well-reputed B2B data warehouse and any auxiliary backup resources you might need to minimize the potential for damage from a data breach.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/YZz9TNScQmuxLoIIMmjY" alt="undefined">
<h2 id="makeeveryone">Make Cybersecurity Everyone&rsquo;s Business</h2>
When it comes to getting protections in place and responding to immediate threats, cybersecurity is only going to involve a select few people within your business. However, threats and breaches can affect any facet of a company.&nbsp;

For long-term, sustainable protection, you need to make cybersecurity a part of your company culture, build from the ground up, and make protective best practices second nature for all echelons of your company.
<h3>Provide Quality Training Regularly</h3>
Providing regular training sessions that hammer home the importance of cybersecurity is essential to ensure you can trust people of all roles to make the right calls and respond to threats as they arise, while taking a preventative attitude that will stop new vulnerabilities from ever arising.

Wherever possible, we recommend tailoring your security training to specific teams and departments. This will not only help workers stay more engaged in the courses you give them, but will ensure your training efforts provide an effective return on the resources they require.&nbsp;

If you&rsquo;re training HR professionals, for example, you might want to place special emphasis on the ethical gathering of employee data, or the role that firms like <a href="https://www.fcra.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Fair Credit</a> can play in background check disputes. If you&rsquo;re delivering courses to your financial controllers, you may want to pay more attention to the kinds of data hackers need to steal from bank accounts, and the kind of schemes they use to attain it.
<h3>Sweat the Small Stuff</h3>
While your organize your training and assign it to your most relevant teams and professionals, it&rsquo;s equally important to ensure your entire workforce stays aware of general best practices that will reduce the risk of attacks and breaches.

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Keeping passwords long and complex</a>, changing passwords at least once every 90 days, recognizing suspicious links, messages, and phishing attachments, and always using a VPN when working remotely, should be everyone&rsquo;s concern. Be sure that these general &ldquo;digital hygiene&rdquo; practices remain a core part of any training strategies you put in place, no matter how much or little a person&rsquo;s role has to do with your actual IT infrastructure.
<h2 id="putfirst">Putting Security First</h2>
When you&rsquo;re growing your start-up, you&rsquo;ll have a million and one things to address. Although cybersecurity may feel like a minor footnote in your wider vision for your business, it needs to be treated as a top priority to avoid leaving your business open to potential disaster.

We hope that this guide has helped you understand the three phases of establishing a strong foundation for your start-up&rsquo;s cybersecurity, and given you the best start possible for a secure and worry-free future.

Every startup needs a cybersecurity strategy to protect the business and meet regulations. Learn how by following these easy steps.

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Password encryption is essential to store user credentials stored in a database securely. Without password encryption, anyone accessing a user database on a company's servers (including hackers) could easily view any stored passwords.
Even a strong 32-character password created using a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">secure password generator</a> is useless without password-encryption! If someone can read your password on a server, they can use it simply by copy/pasting it&mdash;no matter how long or complicated the password might be!
Encryption scrambles your password before saving it on the server. So, if someone hacks the server, instead of finding password123, they find a random series of letters and numbers.
In this article, we're going to explore the world of password encryption, why <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password">strong passwords matter</a>, and how you can practice better password management!
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> is the password management solution for small businesses! Create, store, and share login credentials safely with employees, contractors, and clients. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today!
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;[Table of Contents]
<ul>
<li><a href="#understandingpasswordencryption" rel="follow">Understanding Password Encryption</a></li>
<li><a href="#howdoespasswordencryptionwork" rel="follow">How Does Password Encryption Work?</a></li>
<li><a href="#5commonpasswordencryptionmethods" rel="follow">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</a></li>
<li><a href="#whystrongpasswordsmatter" rel="follow">Why Strong Passwords Matter</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="understandingpasswordencryption">Understanding Password Encryption</h2>
To explain password encryption effectively, we must first grasp the language. Several terms might be unfamiliar, so here is a quick intro to password encryption terminology.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Key: Used to lock and unlock passwords using a random string of bits. You get private and public keys that crypt and decrypt data differently, but we won't get too deep in the weeds with keys!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bits: A logical state with one of two possible values, including 1/0, true/false, yes/no, or on/off as typical examples.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Block (block cipher): A deterministic algorithm operating on fixed-length groups of bits, called blocks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash function: The algorithm that uses the key to create password encryption and decryption. A hash function is essentially a piece of code that runs every time someone saves a password or logs into an application.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash: A random series of numbers and letters representing your password. The hash function uses your hash instead of the raw password for authentication.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt: Additional letters and numbers appended to the hash</li>
</ul>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2 id="howdoespasswordencryptionwork">How Does Password Encryption Work?</h2>
When you save a new password, a hash function creates a hash version and saves that on the server.&nbsp;
Every time you log in using your password, the hash function recreates the hash to see if it matches what's stored. If the hashes match, the algorithm passes the authentication and logs you in.&nbsp;
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Original password: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hashed password: 6AF1CE202340​FE71BDB914AD5357​E33A6982A63B</li>
</ul>
While this might seem secure, simple hashed passwords aren't hack-proof.
The hash function only creates a unique hash for each password, not each user. So, if multiple users have the password, Pa$$w0rd123, the hash will be exactly the same.
To overcome this encryption vulnerability, engineers salt passwords so each hash is unique, even if the passwords are identical.
<h3>How Salt Works</h3>
A salt appends a unique value of 8 bytes (16 characters) to the password before the hash function creates a hash. This way, even identical passwords are unique before the hash function.
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Two identical passwords: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value one: E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value two: 84B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one before hash: Pa$$w0rd123E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two before hash: Pa$$w0rd12384B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one hashed value (SHA256): 72AE25495A7981​C40622D49F9A52E4F15​65C90F048F59027BD9​C8C8900D5C3D8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two hashed value (SHA256): B4B6603ABC670​967E99C7E7F1389E40​CD16E78AD38EB1468E​C2AA1E62B8BED3A</li>
</ul>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2 id="5commonpasswordencryptionmethods">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</h2>
<h3>1. Data Encryption Standard (DES)</h3>
While applications no longer use Data Encryption Standard (DES), it's important to mention this password encryption method because of its history and influence on more secure modern standards.
IBM developed DES as a 56-bit encryption technology in the early 1970s. The NSA adopted and improved DES before it was approved worldwide as the encryption standard.
However, since the late 70s, hackers have been able to break DES encrypted passwords. In 1999, ethical hackers managed to break a DES key in under 24 hours.&nbsp;
To make DES more secure, engineers created Triple DES and later Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which we still use today.
<h3>2. Triple DES</h3>
Triple DES uses three 56-bit keys (blocks) to create 168-bit encryption (some security experts argue that Triple DES is only 112 bits strong). Although Triple-DES is slowly being phased out, many financial institutions still use it to encrypt ATM PINs.
<h3>3. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)</h3>
AES is the new encryption standard&mdash;trusted by the United States Government and many other prominent organizations globally. At 128 bits, AES is sufficiently secure, but most organizations prefer heavy-duty 256-bit encryption.
At <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">TeamPassword</a>, we use 256-bit encryption to store passwords, ensuring the highest levels of security for our clients. We're also a <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">secure hosting provider</a> holding multiple security accreditations.
Hackers can only break an AES encrypted password through a brute-force attack&mdash;trying password combinations to find the right one.
To counter brute-force attacks, applications will lock an account after a certain number of attempts or use tools like Google's reCAPTURE.
<h3>4. Blowfish</h3>
American cryptographer, Bruce Schneier, designed Blowfish in 1993 as an antidote to the weak DES encryption. Blowfish uses a 64-bit block and variable key length of 32 to 448 bits.
Although Blowfish is more robust than its DES predecessor, the 64-bit block is still vulnerable to attacks, most commonly birthday attacks&mdash;a cryptographic attack that exploits the mathematics behind the algorithm.
To solve Blowfish vulnerabilities, engineers created Twofish in 1998 (128-bit blocks with 256-bit keys) and Threefish in 2008 (256, 516, 1024-bit blocks with 256, 516, 1024-bit keys).
<h3>5. Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)</h3>
RSA is one of the oldest and widely used to transfer data securely. The encryption works with two keys, two large prime numbers, and an additional auxiliary value.
Due to the complicated encrypting and decrypting process, there is no known method for breaking RSA encryption.&nbsp;
Although widely used for transferring data, RSA is slow and not suitable for password encryption.
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2 id="whystrongpasswordsmatter">Why Strong Passwords Matter</h2>
Password encryption can only prevent criminals from viewing saved credentials stored on a server&mdash;but cannot prevent hackers from guessing weak/commonly used passwords. If you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reuse the same password for multiple accounts</a>, this also puts you at risk!
Encryption is most effective when users create robust, unique passwords for every account. For example, a random 32-character password with letters, numbers, and special characters hashed and salted is near impossible to guess or decode, even using a computer!
In another scenario, let's assume you have a strong 32-character password, but you use it for every account. If hackers manage to steal that password, they have access to every account using the same credentials! Your strong password is effectively useless.
<h3>Improving Your Password Management</h3>
Now that you understand password encryption and the associated vulnerabilities, you can see why strong passwords are essential.
Effective password management is crucial to protect yourself against cyberattacks or in the highly likely event of a data breach where hackers steal your credentials.
Criminals are after the low-hanging fruit&mdash;people who use weak passwords!
5 tips for creating stronger passwords:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Create strong passwords for every account. The easiest way to do this is using a password generator. <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">TeamPassword has a free password generator</a> anyone can use to create passwords from 12-32 characters using uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. We recommend creating passwords as long as the application will allow.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords shorter than eight characters, with 12 being our recommended minimum.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never reuse the same password for multiple accounts.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords with your name, family member's names, or pet's names. With social media, this information is freely available. Criminals can add those names to algorithms for brute-force attacks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Don't store passwords in digital notepads or spreadsheets. We recommend using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a> to create and store your credentials.</li>
</ol>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2>Why You Need a Password Manager like TeamPassword</h2>
We have so many accounts these days; it's almost impossible to create unique, memorable, secure passwords for each one. A password manager solves this problem.
Instead of remembering the credentials for every account, you only need to memorize the one to log into your password manager.&nbsp;
TeamPassword keeps all of your credentials safely stored and encrypted, so you never have to memorize a password again. Instead of entering your credentials, you use one of TeamPassword's browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, and Safari) to log into accounts.
<h3>Built for Teams</h3>
TeamPassword's best feature is its ability to share credentials with team members securely. Instead of sharing passwords, you provide access through TeamPassword.&nbsp;
Employees <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">use TeamPassword</a> to log in, meaning you never share raw passwords&mdash;no more worrying about unauthorized access or sharing.
You can create groups in TeamPassword to share access with employees, clients, contractors, and freelancers. When someone no longer needs access, remove them from the group with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves a project!
<h3>Built-In Password Generator</h3>
TeamPassword features a built-in secure password manager so you can create robust passwords for every account. TeamPassword also ensures you never reuse the same credentials so that you won't fall victim to credential stuffing attacks!
With a built-in password generator, you can change passwords regularly, and TeamPassword will update the new credentials for all users!
<h3>Monitor Login Activity</h3>
TeamPassword's activity log keeps track of every action across all of your accounts&mdash;logins, password changes, new team members, sharing access, and more.
You can also set up email notifications for all TeamPassword actions so that you can react fast to any suspicious activity.
<h3>Get Your Free TeamPassword Trial</h3>
Password encryption is not enough to protect your business from password vulnerabilities! You need a robust password manager like TeamPassword to create, store, and share credentials securely.
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> and let TeamPassword secure your company's digital assets.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep passwords safe.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep ...

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So you think hackers have stolen your password? You're not the only one. 
Perhaps you've noticed strange activity on your email account or frequent pop-ups on your computer. Perhaps it's just a hunch. 
But how can you know&nbsp;for sure?
There are many warning signs that you've been the victim of a data hack:
<ul>
<li>Your device is slower than normal.</li>
<li>You use more data than normal.</li>
<li>Videos take longer to load.</li>
<li>You received an email notification about a password change you didn't make.</li>
<li>An online account no longer accepts your password.</li>
</ul>
However, hackers can steal your passwords and identity&nbsp;without you ever knowing. That's why it's so difficult to tell if you're the victim of a hack.
This guide will help you work out if hackers have stolen your information and tell you how to stop it from happening again.&nbsp;
Prevent hackers from stealing your data by incorporating TeamPassword into your tech stack. This password manager for teams comes with a range of security features like two-step verification and password encryption.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;today.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How Do I Know?</h2>
There are various ways to tell whether hackers have access to your information:
<ul>
<li>Look for unusual activity on your account. This activity includes logins to your social media accounts from unfamiliar locations or mass messages sent from your email account.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for security emails from account providers that warn about failed login attempts or password changes you didn't make.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for changes in performance on the devices, apps, and websites you use. For example, see if videos take longer to buffer than normal.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look at your browser's password manager (if you use one) and check that nobody has changed these credentials.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
All the above can be a guessing game. You might have a feeling that you're the victim of a hack but don't know for sure. 
Checking a stolen password list like "Have I Been Pwned" clears up some of the confusion. This tool searches across multiple data breaches &mdash; when hackers take stolen passwords and usernames and post them online &mdash; to see if cybercriminals have compromised your personal information. 
Here's how to use this stolen password list:
<ol>
<li>Enter your email address on the main page.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Click "pwned."</li>
<li>The website will search thousands of databases to see if hackers have stolen your personal information.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Oh no &ndash; Pwned!" message, it means hackers have posted sensitive information associated with your email address (passwords, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) somewhere online.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Good news &ndash; no pwnage found!" message, it means the website could not find your information on the internet.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Note: Just because the website can't find your data on the internet, it doesn't mean hackers haven't compromised your personal information.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Password Manager for Small Businesses</a>

<h2>Which Passwords Did Hackers Steal?</h2>
Establish which passwords hackers stole in a data breach so you can take quick action. Websites like "Have I Been Pwned"&nbsp;won't&nbsp;tell you which passwords are at risk. You'll only learn whether hackers have compromised the data associated with a particular email address. 
Note: Sometimes, hackers might have access to your email address and other personal information but not your password. It's hard to know for sure.&nbsp;
If hackers have access to your data, it's a good idea to change&nbsp;all passwords&nbsp;associated with the compromised email address. If you use your email address for several online accounts, change the passwords for these services. Updating these passwords might take you a while, and remembering the new passwords leads to additional problems. (Keep reading to find a solution.)
Here are some other tips:
<ul>
<li>When choosing new passwords, use combinations of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords that use all these elements are stronger than those that don't.</li>
<li>Don't write your passwords down because this increases the risk of identity theft.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't tell anyone your new passwords.</li>
</ul>
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-most-secure-way-to-share-passwords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Most Secure Way to Share Passwords</a>.

<h2>How Common Is a Data Hack?</h2>
More common than you think. Hackers were responsible for more than 4,000 attacks every day in 2020, and the total number of compromised records exceeded 37 billion. That's a 141% increase from 2019. Much of this compromised data appears on the dark web, where cybercriminals use it to facilitate illegal activities such as identity theft and money laundering.&nbsp;
If you have been the subject of a data hack, you are not alone. However, it's important to act quickly to prevent hackers from accessing your personal or financial accounts.&nbsp;
There are other types of cybercrime to consider. Cybercriminals use techniques like phishing, where they impersonate people online and trick victims into handing over their personal information. Phishing now accounts for more than 80% of all cybersecurity incidents, and criminals steal $17,700 every minute in these attacks.&nbsp;

<h2>What Kind of Information Do Hackers Steal?</h2>
Hackers steal all kinds of personal and financial information:
<ul>
<li>Names</li>
<li>Email addresses</li>
<li>Usernames</li>
<li>Passwords</li>
<li>Addresses</li>
<li>Phone numbers</li>
<li>Bank account details</li>
<li>Credit card numbers</li>
<li>Social Security numbers</li>
<li>Insurance information&nbsp;</li>
<li>IRS information</li>
<li>Photos</li>
<li>Private message</li>
<li>SMS messages</li>
</ul>
Nothing is off-limits for hackers, and these criminals go to great lengths to steal your data. Once they have access to the information above, hackers can transfer money from your bank accounts, use your identity to apply for financing, and damage your credit file.&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scariest Data Breaches of All Time</a>.
TeamPassword is the best password manager for teams. Features include two-step verification, password encryption, easy password sharing, and more.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get a free trial now</a>&nbsp;and learn how TeamPassword keeps you safe online.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How to Stay Safe.</h2>
There are several ways to improve online security and prevent hackers from accessing your personal information:
<ul>
<li>Use the latest security software and apps when using devices and browsing the internet.</li>
<li>Carry out regular risk assessments where you evaluate your security software.</li>
<li>Back up personal data to a reputable cloud service instead of keeping it on your device.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't share personal information with other people.</li>
<li>Create a security management strategy for your organization and share it with all team members.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Using a password manager is another way to stay safe online. The best ones encrypt your online passwords so hackers can't access these credentials, and you can keep passwords in a secure cloud-based vault and not have to remember them. There are various password managers online, including free ones available through most internet browsers, but not all tools are the same.&nbsp;
If you work alongside a team, consider TeamPassword. It's the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager for teams</a>&nbsp;that require world-class security and performance. This all-in-one password solution helps teams like yours store, manage, and share passwords in the safest way possible.&nbsp;

<h2>How Can TeamPassword Help?</h2>
TeamPassword prevents hackers from stealing your organization's most sensitive data with an incredible range of password management features. Enterprises of all sizes use TeamPassword to manage passwords, including tech startups, digital marketing agencies, creative agencies, and software and development teams.
Here are some&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TeamPassword features</a>&nbsp;that prevent situations involving a stolen password:
<ul>
<li>Random password generation that creates unique passwords for websites.</li>
<li>Two-step password verification.</li>
<li>Activity and logging tools so you can discover who has access to password management features.</li>
<li>Secure encryption technology.</li>
<li>Email notifications about password management actions.</li>
<li>Passwords stored securely in one place. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Word</h2>
If you're looking for the answer to the question, "Have I been hacked?" it's difficult to know for sure. Preventing hackers from compromising your data in the first place provides a better resolution. TeamPassword lets you store and manage passwords in a secure environment and minimize the effects of a stolen password so you can avoid hackers stealing your data and continue to collaborate on team projects.&nbsp;
With features like password encryption, two-step authentication, and random password generation, TeamPassword is the best password management solution for teams that want to improve online security.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;now.

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