Over the last decade, the gig economy boom has allowed professionals worldwide to switch to freelancing and build a network of international clients.&nbsp;
According to Upwork, 1 in 3 US workers engaged in freelance work during 2020. Some of the most successful freelancers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal.
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Does your company hire freelancers? How do you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/should-i-share-data-with-freelancers">share passwords with freelancers</a>? TeamPassword is an affordable password management solution for small businesses, startups, and agencies to share credentials securely with team members and freelancers. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today.
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<h2>10 Successful Freelancers</h2>
Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records&mdash;many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!
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<h3>1. Scott Luscombe - Graphic Designer / Shopify Expert / Website Developer / Copywriter&nbsp; - Canada</h3>
Scott Luscombe is a freelance graphic designer, Shopify expert, website developer, and copywriter from Uxbridge, Canada. He holds a degree in Illustration from Sheridan College and a degree in Marketing from the University of Toronto.
Scott has been a freelancer for most of his professional career and has earned over $500k on Upwork. He has completed over 311 jobs and worked&nbsp;10,956 hours!&nbsp;
Scott's work includes graphic design and branding, illustration and icons, copywriting, website design and development, UX/UI, and printing and packaging. He also provides freelance coaching and consulting. Scott is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer currently charging $99 per hour for various creative gigs.
Some of Scott's most notable work includes designs for Coca-Cola, the Canadian Cancer Society, Nickelodeon, and Wallet Ninja (to name a few).&nbsp;
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<h3>2. Kathy Edens - Marketing Consultant / Freelance Copywriter - United States</h3>
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~016177d19f0624c1a7?viewMode=1">Kathy Edens is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $300k platform earnings! Kathy has been self-employed as a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter for almost ten years from her home in Ohio, United States.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing and Psychology from Oregon State University, which she says "...helps me understand how to reach your target audience with words."&nbsp;
Kathy has ghost-written several non-fiction books on various topics, including social entrepreneurship, healthcare, real estate investing, and the cannabis industry, to name a few.
Kathy also writes web content, sales pages, email marketing content, case studies, white papers, brochures, press releases, and more. Kathy's rates start at $86 per hour for her writing and marketing services.
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<h3>3. Koen van Oeveren - UX designer - Netherlands</h3>
Koen van Oeveren is a freelance UI &amp; UX designer from North Brabant, Netherlands, with almost ten years of experience. Koen works with several design agencies in the Netherlands, designing apps, websites, and eCommerce experiences for many international brands.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Koen holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Communication and Multimedia Design from Avans University in the Netherlands. Koen's <a href="https://www.koenvo.com/index.html">portfolio website Koenvo</a> was nominated for a <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/koenvo-ui-ux-portfolio">2021 awwwards. Award</a>.
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<h3>4. Pascal Strasche - Product / UX designer - Germany</h3>
Pascal Strasche is a product and UX designer with more than ten years of design experience from Germany. He holds a Master of Arts in Interaction Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, both from HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
For almost a year over 2020/2021, Pascal worked as the sole product designer to design Con Cubo's SaaS tool that helps complex organizations visualize and manage teams. He's also worked with German steel giant XOM Materials to find product solutions to digitalize&nbsp;Germany's steel industry.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In 2019, Pascal founded Product Design Resources, a growing archive of 800+ design resources, weekly updated for the design community.
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<h3>5. Paul Hunkin - Developer - New Zealand</h3>
Paul Hunkin is a freelance software consultant and developer from Tauranga, New Zealand, but currently living in Portugal.&nbsp;
Paul has over ten years of experience as a software developer with an impressive work history, including Google, NASA, InfoSys, and the Chinese aerospace industry leader COMAC.
He's worked with several early-stage startups designing everything from high-performance big-data systems to complex web applications to 3D rendering engines. He's also built a lot of the foundational code for independent games on Android.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Paul is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. His rates start at $120 per hour for software development. <a href="https://paulh.consulting/">Check out Paul's website</a> for more about his impressive portfolio and work history.
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<h3>6. Jana Galat - Writer / Brand Strategist - Canada</h3>
Jana Galat is a freelance copywriter and brand strategist from Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Organizational Studies from King's University College and an Honors in Business Administration from Western University.
Jana has extensive experience writing landing pages, email campaigns, social media ads, and print materials and says, "I am obsessed with creating copy that sells..."
After several years of professional work experience, Jana went freelance in 2019 and has quickly built a reputation as a <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01bfa17a48301876dd">Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $70k in platform earnings. Jana's rates start at $100 per hour for copywriting and brand consulting.
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<h3>7. Kate H. - Logo Designer / Branding Expert - United States</h3>
Kate is a freelance professional logo designer and branding expert from Maryland, United States. Kate&nbsp;ran her own green wedding brand which she sold to mywedding.com in 2014, allowing her to focus on helping small&nbsp;businesses figure out what they want (and who they are) and translate that into design.
She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of The Environment, and a J.D. in environmental law from Pace Law School.&nbsp;
Kate's skillset includes redesigning and updating material to make it easier to understand, building a consistent brand from a simple starting point like a logo, and creating unique logos that guarantee results.
Kate is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer, and her rates start at $225 per hour. You can find out more about Kate on her <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~013ce73876c1c18126" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Upwork profile</a>.
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<h3>8. Marcos Rezende - UX designer - Canada</h3>
Marcos Rezende is a UX Designer from Ontario, Canada, with more than 13 years of experience. Marcos has worked in over 30 industry sectors for multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.&nbsp;
Some of Marcos' notable projects include apps for Ontario's COVID-19 dashboard, Urban Master Planning collaboration platform, and Reaction (kid's e-learning app), to name a few.&nbsp;
Marcos loves sharing his industry expertise with aspiring UX designers and regularly writes for the popular UX publication Career Foundry. Total recognizes Marcos as part of its "Top 3%" of global freelancer talent&mdash;a title given to elite freelancers in their given field.
We don't have access to Marcos' rates, but the best UX designers on Upwork earn upwards of $100 per hour. As a Toptal Top 3% freelancer, Marcos likely charges $200-$300 per hour.
<a href="https://www.marcosrezende.com/">Marcos Rezende's website</a> was nominated for the prestigious <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/ux-portfolio-marcos-rezende">awwwards.</a> in 2021.
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<h3>9. Tanya Litvinova - UX/UI Designer - United States</h3>
Tanya Litvinova is a freelance UX/UI designer from New York City, United States. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design / Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Tanya specializes in product, mobile, and web design as well as user experience flow, research, and validation.
"I have a passion to make the complex simple, shape behavior, design, plan, and strategize. Aiming for the best user experience, all the while balancing the needs of business and technology to create engaging, habit-forming digital products."
Tanya has worked with Fortune 100 &amp; Fortune 500 companies and successfully delivered business-transforming data-driven analytics, responsive BI dashboards, enterprise web apps, and management systems. Some of Tanya's notable clients include KOCH Industries, BlackRock Financial, BCG Group, and FireEye, to name a few.
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0165035041b26e96df">Tanya is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with more than $200k platform earnings. Her current rate starts at $162.50 per hour.
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<h3>10. Guangming Lang - Data Scientist - United States</h3>
Guangming Lang is a freelance data scientist from Michigan, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from New College of Florida and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Guangming has also completed several Coursera courses in data science and machine learning.
Guangming has been a freelancer since 2013 and has worked across several industries, including fintech, trading, medicine, biotech, advertising, and HR.&nbsp;
Guangming is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. He's completed 216 jobs on Upwork totaling 3,805 hours! Guangming's current rates start at $200 per hour.
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<h2>Secure Freelancer Workflows With TeamPassword</h2>
No matter how talented or reputable the freelancers and contractors you hire, your company must use secure workflows to protect your digital assets.
Freelancers often need access to shared accounts and tools. Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is the first step to securing these accounts and platforms. You can also use a password manager to share credentials with employees, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure you never expose raw passwords via email, spreadsheets, chat apps, and other non-secure methods.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> lets you create groups to share access with only those who need it. When they're done, revoke access with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves the team.
If you do need to change a password, TeamPassword's built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a> lets you create secure passwords between 12-32 characters using numbers, letters (uppercase/lowercase), and symbols.
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Ready to onboard clients and freelancers securely with TeamPassword's robust <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password management solution</a>? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free trial</a> to secure your company's digital assets today!

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field.

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in ...

10 extremely successful freelancers and what they do

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records—many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!

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<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-ae08535a-5406-4db1-9108-ac07fa0e45b9" data-block="ae08535a-5406-4db1-9108-ac07fa0e45b9" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Over the last few years you&rsquo;ve probably heard all about the importance of using strong, unique passwords for your online accounts. But have you actually practiced doing so? Perhaps you aren&rsquo;t worried about a data breach or hackers targeting you, because they only go after big companies, right?
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-fabcb0f2-7527-4822-8d0e-1508978351be" data-block="fabcb0f2-7527-4822-8d0e-1508978351be" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Wrong. Very wrong. In fact, cybercriminals target thousands of small businesses and individuals on a daily basis. But whether you&rsquo;re running a Fortune 500 company, a small business, or if you&rsquo;re an entrepreneur or a contractor working from a home office, there is one thing all cybersecurity experts recommend and agree on &mdash; using unique passwords for all online accounts.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-0a7d4c38-7a82-4007-a4e6-674df18ea6a9" data-block="0a7d4c38-7a82-4007-a4e6-674df18ea6a9" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">A strong, unique password is a strong deterrent to cybercriminals, but unfortunately, many organizations still fail to encourage their use. The main hindrance is that it can be difficult to remember different strings of random letters and numbers for the multitude of accounts we all have. It&rsquo;s so much easier to simply use a few words or a phrase that&rsquo;s easy to remember, for each and every account.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-7e0609ae-b7cb-4007-9428-9f024dfc1445" data-block="7e0609ae-b7cb-4007-9428-9f024dfc1445" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">But that is exactly what cybercriminals count on.
<h2 aria-label="Write heading&hellip;" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-13578f3c-3bf0-4eab-921b-979534f32cfe" data-block="13578f3c-3bf0-4eab-921b-979534f32cfe" data-type="core/heading" data-title="Heading" tabindex="0">How Strong, Unique Passwords for Each Account Help Prevent Data Breaches</h2>
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-66614481-d9e3-4045-ba73-19ca79a4d5dd" data-block="66614481-d9e3-4045-ba73-19ca79a4d5dd" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">While hackers can employ a number of sophisticated methods for acquiring usernames and passwords, such as malware, phishing emails, and keyloggers, the old-fashioned way of simply guessing still works.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-ab1a0a59-a4df-4054-9de6-2d84e163b84d" data-block="ab1a0a59-a4df-4054-9de6-2d84e163b84d" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Hackers will run a program that will try thousands of commonly used passwords per second, and often manage to access a computer network or account in this manner. And if the same password is used for multiple accounts, then a hacker now has access to a significant amount of personal information and sensitive data.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-a89a7de3-4b0f-4b32-b889-4b08b57fc1d7" data-block="a89a7de3-4b0f-4b32-b889-4b08b57fc1d7" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">A cybercriminal can cause serious financial trouble or steal the identity of an individual, or steal thousands of data records from companies.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-5c5d8335-da73-4e6b-91be-34519efd7ce6" data-block="5c5d8335-da73-4e6b-91be-34519efd7ce6" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">But a single, strong, unique password for each account can prevent cybercrime and protect your data and personal information.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-5cb72ffc-e625-4d4c-897e-47bb64293428" data-block="5cb72ffc-e625-4d4c-897e-47bb64293428" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Many cybercriminals manage to acquire at least one username and password via a phishing email. In fact, phishing accounts for 90% of all data breaches. But if an individual were to use different passwords for each account, the cybercriminal would only have succeeded in infiltrating one account, rather than all of them.
<h2 aria-label="Write heading&hellip;" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-31528a5f-60c0-42d6-9916-249853d3d26b" data-block="31528a5f-60c0-42d6-9916-249853d3d26b" data-type="core/heading" data-title="Heading" tabindex="0">What is a Strong Password?</h2>
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-c26f2f75-a604-4a23-b472-de9538766ea8" data-block="c26f2f75-a604-4a23-b472-de9538766ea8" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">A strong password is considered to be a string of at least 10 random upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters such as a question mark. Many organizations now require you to create passwords conforming to these guidelines, which is good. However, many still use the same strong password for multiple accounts, which is definitely not recommended.&nbsp;
<h2 aria-label="Write heading&hellip;" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-90ea80cd-7409-4c38-8939-03bb84d860e3" data-block="90ea80cd-7409-4c38-8939-03bb84d860e3" data-type="core/heading" data-title="Heading" tabindex="0">So How Do I Remember All These Passwords?</h2>
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-838ab3be-232f-42c6-8e34-7cafe81184a9" data-block="838ab3be-232f-42c6-8e34-7cafe81184a9" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Many computers come equipped with a password manager, or you can download password manager apps that keep track of all your passwords for you. You will, of course, need to at least remember a unique password for the actual password manager.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-f294ca3c-6c89-4fae-9b3d-d25a2e135344" data-block="f294ca3c-6c89-4fae-9b3d-d25a2e135344" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">In an organization, keeping track of individual and group-shared passwords can be a more difficult task. Thankfully, password managers exist for teams as well. Many businesses utilize a team password manager aptly named&nbsp;<a rel="follow noopener" href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>, a fast, easy, and secure way for team members to share and access logins and passwords.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-53945973-0835-488f-9ec1-d4ee5df0784a" data-block="53945973-0835-488f-9ec1-d4ee5df0784a" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Ideal for teams of all sizes, TeamPassword helps to ensure a consistent flow of productivity while also ensuring protection of valuable and sensitive data. Visit&nbsp;<a rel="follow noopener" href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;today to learn more about how this intuitive password manager can help you.
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How Strong, Unique Passwords for Each Account Help Prevent Data Breaches

Over the last few years you’ve probably heard all about the importance of using strong, unique passwords for ...

The Importance of a Strong Password For Each Account

Over the last few years you’ve probably heard all about the importance of using strong, unique passwords for your online accounts. But have you actually practiced doing so?

<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="block-editor-block-list__layout is-root-container">
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-ceb045e0-02bc-4f66-ba1b-5d3dcea346a6" data-block="ceb045e0-02bc-4f66-ba1b-5d3dcea346a6" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Wannacry, ransomware, and phishing may sound like menacing robots, but they&rsquo;re actually the latest series of cyber threats hounding the online community. Digital security has become a talking point for many organizations, which continue to spend millions on beefing up their cyber defenses. It doesn&rsquo;t help that malicious parties are constantly plotting and leveling-up their tactics. It seems like cyber authorities may throw everything except the kitchen sink and they&rsquo;re still striking with full force!
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-04485d3d-d2a0-4fbe-9123-e9fbc6fbc5ab" data-block="04485d3d-d2a0-4fbe-9123-e9fbc6fbc5ab" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Confidential information such as credit card details lies at the heart of this digital security saga. This is expected since these precious strings of data literally provide malicious hackers with the keys to your funds. The paranoia is so real that it has been widely taught in cyber hygiene 101 that privileged information should never be cached.&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-18c4c283-4f11-4732-bfd3-b9ca83d8b213" data-block="18c4c283-4f11-4732-bfd3-b9ca83d8b213" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">But how much of this is true? Is there a way to bypass the security threats with a trusty system? Are you supposed to key in the details each time? It is truly frustrating and troublesome if you don&rsquo;t have said credit card on hand for reference and you&rsquo;re pressured to make a time-sensitive transaction (these things do happen).&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-061b69f9-5bcb-497d-b288-9f8549ca27cc" data-block="061b69f9-5bcb-497d-b288-9f8549ca27cc" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Hold on to your hats, we might have your ideal solution, but first, we should take a closer look at the basics of data storage.&nbsp;
<h2 aria-label="Write heading&hellip;" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-1e508c28-9d45-43f7-8833-60475591db22" data-block="1e508c28-9d45-43f7-8833-60475591db22" data-type="core/heading" data-title="Heading" tabindex="0">Understanding the Basics</h2>
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-cc4b0c81-6e9f-4686-895f-9e179361cc15" data-block="cc4b0c81-6e9f-4686-895f-9e179361cc15" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">All valuable information such as credit card details, personal passwords, or social security numbers is keyed in what we refer to as plaintext form. This type of data is readable by the average human user and hence, easily duplicated and stolen. So the question remains, is it safe to store the details of your credit card online? We believe some brows may be raised at this juncture.&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-7b0962de-621b-4021-beb9-e86adef71fb5" data-block="7b0962de-621b-4021-beb9-e86adef71fb5" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">However, think about it, the storage of credit card details is really one of the greatest innovations in modern times, especially if you&rsquo;re a frequent shopper. Simply key the details once and you&rsquo;re free to bask in retail therapy to your heart&rsquo;s content, swiping from one e-commerce site to another. Most websites, if not all, only store the numbers and expiry dates of credit cards. This means that card owners are still required to manually key in their CVV digits (the confidential three or four-digit numbers at the back of a credit card) to finalize a transaction. That makes it safe right?
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-23f4b07b-153b-4316-8cbe-98ca8eca40e9" data-block="23f4b07b-153b-4316-8cbe-98ca8eca40e9" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">In truth, the dangers are still very real. Under normal circumstances, cached credit card details are still easily acquired and manipulated by unauthorized persons. Garden variety scams such as spear-phishing techniques may trick card owners of their CVV details, and you'd be able to guess the rest of that tale. But we did say normal circumstances...
<h2 aria-label="Write heading&hellip;" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-e2f43b66-bb81-452e-8bec-6aab403e908e" data-block="e2f43b66-bb81-452e-8bec-6aab403e908e" data-type="core/heading" data-title="Heading" tabindex="0">The TeamPassword Solution&nbsp;</h2>
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-b90198d4-1b7d-4f2d-8d96-2e1bbbf904e9" data-block="b90198d4-1b7d-4f2d-8d96-2e1bbbf904e9" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Now, under what we term &ldquo;improved circumstances&rdquo; (or the TeamPassword method), your cached passwords will remain under lock and key while still featuring the same level of convenience. How? Glad you asked.&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-3204c4d7-a375-49c6-b6f0-49d87e6f86f2" data-block="3204c4d7-a375-49c6-b6f0-49d87e6f86f2" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">At TeamPassword, we believe that there is no such thing as being too safe. As such, we&rsquo;re constantly implementing the latest methods of encryption. Basically, what encryption does is convert your standard plaintext credit card info into a gibberish ciphertext before being uploaded to a server. This means that malicious hackers will find nothing but cyberspace dust if they intercept your data en route.&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-2c1f5d2e-01fa-4f7d-9300-6eff035ff4d1" data-block="2c1f5d2e-01fa-4f7d-9300-6eff035ff4d1" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">But as we&rsquo;ve alluded, we are always optimizing the security process at every given opportunity. To that end, we ensure your data is locally encrypted before being transferred via encrypted connections for double the protection. Team Password's hosting provider currently offers the latest and safest encryption method (which passes the ISO27001 standards at the point of this writing).&nbsp;&nbsp;
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-1cfcb583-df77-4681-8d9d-ffed2c865313" data-block="1cfcb583-df77-4681-8d9d-ffed2c865313" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Additionally, we provide additional security features such as vulnerability sweeps (where we assess and eliminate the gaps in your database), and 2-step verification to affirm that your credit card is being accessed by authorized users. Also, we understand that it is nearly impossible to get around without a digital device so our program is readily accessed from your tablet, mobile, and laptops while you're on the move.
<p aria-label="Paragraph block" role="textbox" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block rich-text block-editor-rich-text__editable wp-block" aria-multiline="true" id="block-016086d1-4a8a-49ae-b0ea-63a31e35c4a1" data-block="016086d1-4a8a-49ae-b0ea-63a31e35c4a1" data-type="core/paragraph" data-title="Paragraph" tabindex="0">Never worry again about the security of your credit card details with TeamPassword. We&rsquo;re the most secure and encrypted password manager equipped with the latest technology in safeguarding your precious digital assets.<a rel="follow noopener" href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" target="_blank">&nbsp;Join the winning team</a>, TeamPassword, to experience the security standards of tomorrow, today.
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In today's online marketplace, credit cards are often stored in browsers and websites. But is this safe?

Wannacry, ransomware, and phishing may sound like menacing robots, but they’re actually the latest series of cyber threats ...

Is it Safe to Save my Credit Card Online?

Wannacry, ransomware, and phishing may sound like menacing robots, but they’re actually the latest series of cyber threats hounding the online community. Digital security has become a talking point for many organizations, which continue to spend millions on beefing up their cyber defenses. It doesn’t help that malicious parties are ...

In one word,&nbsp;yes.&nbsp;Absolutely. Attackers are often seeking to gain access to payment card details or to make fraudulent purchases. But that is sadly, only the beginning. Many of the records stolen during data breaches are sold and bundled into a nefarious, growing marketplace for personally identifiable information (PII) on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/04/11/the-dark-world-of-cybercrime/">dark web</a>. Your password and login credentials are simply a means to an end, a key that unlocks the house to your personal data. If this doesn&rsquo;t concern you yet, keep in mind that fully packaged data or &ldquo;<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/fullz-definition-4684000" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">fullz</a>&rdquo; for one person can&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/460482/heres-what-your-stolen-identity-goes-for-on-the-internets-black-market/">sell</a>&nbsp;from less than $1 to around $450 based on factors such as your credit score.
The truth is data security has never been more critical in our society than it is today. By 2020, it is estimated that&nbsp;<a href="https://cybersecurityventures.com/300-billion-passwords/">300 billion passwords</a>&nbsp;will be at risk. While accounts at financial and military institutions might be the most coveted information by hackers, any business that requires a log-in to access services will become a target.
Take food-service delivery giant, DoorDash, for example. On September 26, they&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.doordash.com/important-security-notice-about-your-doordash-account-ddd90ddf5996#46h35gr24e">announced</a>&nbsp;that an unauthorized third-party gained access to user data on over 4.9 million consumers this past May. Among the type of data accessed alongside profile info, emails, home addresses and phone numbers were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28546/password-salting">salted passwords</a>. What does this mean for DoorDash, the&nbsp;<a href="https://adage.com/article/digital/postmates-and-uber-eats-use-doordash-tipping-fallout-opportunity-build-trust-customers/2186231">market leader</a>&nbsp;in its category with approximately 27.6 percent of market share?
Fortunately, having salted passwords for users, which involves appending an additional password to the original before hashing the entire string of characters, is a good practice to keep. Unfortunately, this data breach runs the risk of demoralizing a significant number of the company&rsquo;s early adopters. Beyond disappointing loyal and trusting users and potentially losing &nbsp;status as the market&rsquo;s top dog, the lack of data security here will have to become their number one priority.
Last year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.idtheftcenter.org/2018-end-of-year-data-breach-report/">2018 End-of-Year Data Breach Report</a>&nbsp;from the Identity Theft Resource Center, hackers stole 447 million consumer records containing personally identifiable information (PII). This came at a 126% jump from 2017, so we can only expect that the increase in data breaches and exposed consumer records will continue to see annual growth at alarmingly exponential rates.
<h2 id="how-hackers-steal-your-password">How Hackers Steal Your Password</h2>
<h3 id="credential-stuffing-list-cleaning-or-breach-replay"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/07/20/heres-what-hackers-do-with-all-your-stolen-passwords/#609c5bb82d99">Credential Stuffing</a>, List Cleaning or Breach Replay</h3>
Hackers test databases and stolen credentials against multiple accounts in search of a match. Again, your password is the key to your data. So these databases are &ldquo;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/07/20/heres-what-hackers-do-with-all-your-stolen-passwords/#609c5bb82d99">a key ring</a>&rdquo; increasing the possibility of breaking into your account. This type of attack accounts for more than&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/1329961/hackers-account-for-90-of-login-attempts-at-online-retailers/">90% of global login traffic</a>&nbsp;on e-commerce sites, making it one of the largest threats.
<h3 id="social-engineering"><a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2016/10/26/human-hacking-and-social-engineering-cyber-talk-radio-episode-5/">Social engineering</a></h3>
Social engineering or human hacking is most commonly thought of as phishing. It refers to personal and direct attempts that trick users into supplying confidential information voluntarily. Whether by phone, SMS or impersonation via&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2018/09/19/common-phishing-attacks/">spear-phishing emails</a>, over&nbsp;<a href="https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hackers-exploit-urgency-personalization-in-phishing-attacks">70%</a>&nbsp;of cybercrimes begin with this type of attack.
<h3 id="password-spraying">Password Spraying</h3>
Similar to credential stuffing, minus the database and paired credentials, password spraying involves testing a list of user accounts against the most commonly known passwords. While this sounds manual and might create false hope that hackers are up against an impossible task, remember that hackers can automate most of this work and that overly-used passwords such as 123456 make this tactic quite common.
<h3 id="keylogging">Keylogging</h3>
Keylogging malware records the keystrokes you type on your keyboard and into your machine. While this requires a hacker to have access to your hardware first, hackers don&rsquo;t need to have direct physical access to your computer to infect it with malware.
<h3 id="brute-force-and-password-cracking">Brute Force and Password Cracking</h3>
Hackers run algorithms against encrypted passwords until they crack open. Although this is the most widely known method of hacking seen in media, it is also one of the least common in real life. Due to the nearly infinite number of permutations that exist and best practices like encrypted, hashed and salted passwords, this is one of the least frequented tools in a hacker&rsquo;s toolbox.
<h3 id="local-discovery">Local Discovery</h3>
This final method is the least sophisticated technologically, but still very common, unfortunately. Local discovery happens when you leave your password open in public. That&rsquo;s right, we&rsquo;re talking about that sticky note on your desk.
<h2 id="the-bottom-line">The Bottom Line</h2>
<h3 id="are-you-protecting-your-password">Are you protecting your password?</h3>
We hope by this point that you understand and agree with us. Yes, people really are trying to steal your password everyday. But don&rsquo;t let this knowledge cause you fear; instead let it inspire you to action. For starters, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/07/11/can-your-passwords-be-hacked/">hacker-proof your passwords</a>&nbsp;and review these&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/06/10/your-passwords-arent-safe-unless-youre-taking-these-5-steps/">5 steps</a>&nbsp;to further enhance password security. If you&rsquo;re looking for inspiration, here&rsquo;s the quickest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/06/06/how-to-make-a-secure-password/">read</a>&nbsp;on how to make a secure password. Be sure to also check out website services that can<a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">&nbsp;inform and notify</a>&nbsp;you whether or not your email or password has been breached before.
Ultimately though, if you want to position yourself, your business and your passwords with the greatest line of defense, consider investing in a password manager. Not only would this investment ramp up your cybersecurity efforts, a password management tool can also solve<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/09/12/7-signs-you-need-a-password-manager/">&nbsp;a variety of pain points</a>&nbsp;like having to remember all your newly crafted 16-character passphrases.
<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;is here to protect and defend you from these types of cyber attacks. A simple, secure password manager, designed from the ground up with security and best in-class encryption in mind can protect your company from data breaches and your passwords from hackers.
Get TeamPassword today!&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">Try our free 14-day trial.</a>

Learn how hackers steal your password and what you can do to stop them.

TeamPassword's founder Brian Sierakowski walks through the ways hackers steal passwords and what you can do to stay ...

Are Hackers Really Trying to Steal Your Password?

TeamPassword's founder Brian Sierakowski walks through the ways hackers steal passwords and what you can do to stay safe.

Security breaches have become alarmingly common &mdash; both at home and in the workplace. Despite the rise of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/01/16/hacked-two-factor-authentication/">two-factor authentication</a>&nbsp;and constant horror stories in the media, many people still have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2018/09/17/bad-password-habits/">poor password hygiene</a>&nbsp;and remain at risk for these kinds of attacks. The stakes are even higher for small businesses with many employees &mdash; a single&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2018/06/27/things-to-consider-from-verizon-2018-data-breach-investigations-report/">data breach</a>&nbsp;could put them out of business.
The Ponemon Institute, a leading provider of independent research on data protection and emerging technologies, recently released its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yubico.com/authentication-report/">2019 State of Password and Authentication Security Behaviors Report</a>. The survey of 1,761 IT and IT security practitioners around the world provides a lot of insight into privacy and security concerns, including password management, authentication strategies and cybersecurity costs.
Let&rsquo;s take a look at some of the key insights from the report and some best practices to help address them.
<h2 id="phishing-attacks-are-common">Phishing Attacks are Common</h2>
<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/05/20/is-it-a-phishing-email-or-a-real-email-heres-how-to-tell/">Phishing attacks</a>&nbsp;have become the most popular form of cyberattack against many homes and businesses. According to Ponemon, more than half of respondents (51 percent) said that they have experienced a phishing attack. A separate survey from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/average-cost-of-a-spear-phishing/">Cloudmark</a>&nbsp;found that phishing attacks were responsible for 38 percent of all cyberattacks on respondent companies and the average cost following an attack was upwards of $1.8 million.
Surprisingly, 57 percent of those that experienced a phishing attack didn&rsquo;t change&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/06/10/your-passwords-arent-safe-unless-youre-taking-these-5-steps/">the way that they manage their passwords</a>. There&rsquo;s a good chance that many of these incidents also go unreported in the workplace. It&rsquo;s important to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/04/29/how-to-train-employees-on-cybersecurity/">train employees</a>&nbsp;on how to recognize phishing attacks and encourage them to report any attacks to the proper IT personnel. These efforts can help inform training exercises and proactively address risks.
Many network security solutions can also help prevent many phishing attacks. For example, Jungle Disk's Active Network Protection provides cloud firewall protection, safe internet filters,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2016/12/02/jungle-disk-blog-highlights-keep-your-business-critical-data-safe/">VPN remote access</a>&nbsp;and secure WiFi for employees and guests. By blocking many common phishing attempts before they reach employees, you can reduce the changes of employees inadvertently becoming a victim to these kinds of attacks.
<h2 id="password-hygiene-is-lacking">Password Hygiene is Lacking</h2>
Poor password hygiene is a leading cause of cybersecurity problems. According to Ponemon, nearly 70 percent of respondents have shared passwords with colleagues in the workplace and more than half reuse an average of five passwords across their business and/or personal accounts. Two-factor authentication can mitigate many of these issues, but nearly 70 percent of respondents don&rsquo;t use two-factor authentication.
<hr />
<a href="https://mailchi.mp/jungledisk.com/checklist-of-small-business-password-best-practices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download a sample cybersecurity job posting to use as a template during your hiring efforts.</a>
<hr />
There are several best practices that can help:
<ul>
<li>
Update passwords on a regular basis because stale passwords often show up in data breaches over time.
</li>
<li>
Use passphrases rather than passwords because they&rsquo;re longer and harder for computers to crack.
</li>
<li>
Use different passwords for each website or service, so if one is compromised, it doesn&rsquo;t impact other areas.
</li>
<li>
Enable two-factor authentication or use hardware tokens to add a second layer of security to your sensitive accounts.
</li>
</ul>
Password managers, like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/password-manager/">TeamPassword</a>, make it easy to automatically generate strong passwords and securely share them with colleagues. With browser plugins, TeamPassword even makes it easy to auto-fill strong passwords, so employees don&rsquo;t have to remember them or look them up every time. That way, there&rsquo;s no excuse for employees to share passwords with their colleagues or re-use the same password across multiple services.
<h2 id="managing-passwords-is-costly">Managing Passwords is Costly</h2>
Many small businesses know the importance of proper password management, but they may not realize how much it costs to manage passwords. According to Ponemon, the average respondent spends about 12 minutes per week entering and/or resetting passwords. This translates to an average cost of $5.2 million per year in lost productivity for organizations with 15,000 employees &mdash; and significant sums for any smaller businesses.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/e08yJ9XeSwOgTiA0QPQy" alt="undefined" />
Password managers can help reduce these costs by making it easier to generate and auto-fill passwords.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/password-manager/">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;even makes it easy to share common passwords between employees and eliminates the need for password spreadsheets or other bad practices. With the average team having nearly 150 passwords to manage, the ability to generate unique passwords and share them can have a big impact on productivity.
Sign up for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/password-manager/">free 14-day trial</a>&nbsp;of TeamPassword today!
<h2 id="hardware-tokens-are-the-future">Hardware Tokens Are the Future</h2>
Managing passwords can be inconvenient and cumbersome, and it&rsquo;s impossible to ensure that every single employee is following these best practices. It only takes a single rogue employee or insecure password to bring down the entire network. According to Ponemon, 56 percent of respondents believe that physical hardware tokens are a great alternative to two-factor authentication by eliminating the need for a smartphone or tablet.
<hr />
<a href="https://mailchi.mp/jungledisk.com/checklist-of-small-business-password-best-practices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Don&rsquo;t forget to download our free checklist of small business password best practices to ensure that your business is secure from cyber attack.</a>
<hr />
Hardware tokens are physical devices that you carry with you or plug into your computer or smartphone. Some of these devices provide a one-time passcode for signing in with two-factor authentication while others interface directly with common applications, including email and social media accounts. Most of these devices still require a password, but employees don&rsquo;t need to worry about using a smartphone or requiring WiFi.
There are also some attempts to remove passwords altogether. For instance, Apple&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/iphone-xr/face-id/">Face ID</a>&nbsp;uses biometrics to unlock the smartphone and make purchases. These technologies could not only eliminate the need to remember and manage passwords, but also greatly reduce the odds of an unauthorized login.&nbsp;<a href="https://auth0.com/passwordless">Auth0</a>&nbsp;also launched Passwordless, a product that enables users to login with nothing but their phone and email address.
<h2 id="the-bottom-line">The Bottom Line</h2>
Security breaches have become alarmingly common, but even the victims of cybersecurity incidents haven&rsquo;t stepped up their security measures. The good news is that new technologies are making it easier than ever to protect your own personal data and that of employees from cybersecurity threats. The key is properly implementing these technologies and ensuring that employees receive enough training to actually use them.
<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/get-started/">Sign up for Jungle Disk</a>&nbsp;to access a comprehensive cybersecurity suite that&rsquo;s specifically designed for small businesses with between two and 250 employees.

Security breaches have become alarmingly common — both at home and in the workplace. Learn about the current state of the Password.

Security breaches have become alarmingly common — both at home and in the workplace. Despite the rise of ...

Ponemon’s State of Password Security Recap

Security breaches have become alarmingly common — both at home and in the workplace. Despite the rise of two-factor authentication and constant horror stories in the media, many people still have poor password hygiene and remain at risk for these kinds of attacks.

As a sales engineer, I speak to several customers and potential customers each month. I love being able to speak to current customers and future customers about our products to see how they can incorporate our services in with their company. Many of these individuals are small- to medium-sized businesses that are not &ldquo;technical.&rdquo; I throw technical in quotes since there is a vast crazy tech world out there and that term can be very vague.
Most of our customers and prospects do not have time to worry about data security and rightfully so. That is not what they excel at. Many of these companies are best at what they do and would rather focus on that. The reality, though, is that data security needs to be a priority as our society steers towards the world of the internet.
We love having conversations on how we can help or even just guide companies toward better practices. With the products and services that we provide, one of our customers brought a concern forth that made me realize how important password management is. They wanted to migrate from their current infrastructure over to one of the two online productivity suites (Microsoft Office 365 or Google G Suite). We discussed the transition process as well as a timeline of events. Whichever of the two our customers choose, I always advise that a best practice would be to enable 2-factor authentication when setting up user access.
With that enabled, you limit the risk of having your account being breached and are notified if something tries to get in. Although both of these products are built to be online suites, they both have the options to connect your drive (OneDrive or Google Drive) to your desktop. Although it is easy to access it online, some are not always connected to the internet and this feature allows users to still access their documents in the event that does happen. Both also offer an offline feature as well, but when the drives are connected to the computer, it seems less of a hassle. Then enters the question, &ldquo;What if my computer is stolen?&rdquo;
First, we always recommend having a backup of your data, whether it be in the cloud or on your desktop. But, the question here was, &ldquo;Does that thief have access to all the files connected to the computer if I have the drive for desktop?&rdquo; The answer is maybe. If they can guess the password to the computer, then all that data along with everything else on the computer is available to them. If a good, strong password is in place, then it will be harder to get into the computer to obtain that same information. There are remote wipe features that you can use with these online suite of services, but what if the computer was missing for hours or even days before you&rsquo;re able to do the wipe? Is your data safe?
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/9yCVCJdfR8eelSBhn2tD" alt="Secure Password" />
This led to me asking myself if my passwords were any good. Several experts suggest that you should have a different password for every site you visit. If you&rsquo;re like me, that can be daunting just to think about. Using a password manager, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a>, is a great start so that you don&rsquo;t have to remember several different ones. You may want to cancel sites or services that you no longer need and change your passwords frequently. Although it is better to change them every 3 months or so, you do not want to do this if it will put you more at risk. An example of this is keeping the same password but having a small variation or having a sticky note stuck on your screen with the list of all your passwords.
If it is too much of a hassle, start by just changing your high-risk account passwords regularly to start getting accustomed to the process, then move to other accounts later on.

Most small businesses don't excel at data security, but it needs to be a priority given modern cyber threats.

Most of our customers and prospects do not have time to worry about data security and rightfully so. ...

Cloud Application Security: Password Security for G Suite & Office 365

Most of our customers and prospects do not have time to worry about data security and rightfully so. That is not what they excel at. Many of these companies are best at what they do and would rather focus on that. The reality, though, is that data security needs to be a priority as our society steers towards the world of the internet.

Did you know that the average person spends up to 11 hours a day online?
We are either online checking our email accounts, banking, shopping or on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When it comes to protecting these accounts, most people do not have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2016/10/07/top-3-security-tips-for-national-cyber-security-awareness-month/">strong passwords</a>&nbsp;which can leave an opportunity for cyber thieves to hack your accounts and access your personal information.
This year, Mark Zuckerberg (CEO Facebook) told an audience that the average person spends 50 minutes per day on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger platforms.&nbsp;Did you know that Facebook accounts are hacked 600,000 times daily during user&rsquo;s log-in?&nbsp;In fact, Facebook records 1 billion logins each day and .06% of those logins are compromised. This was first reported by a UK-based computer security firm, Sophos. That being said, how many of us have the same password for Facebook and all of our other accounts such as financial services, email account, etc?
The above stats show that we need to have strong passwords to prevent or at least make it more difficult for cyber thieves to access your personal information. Today, cyber thieves use software programs that can generate password combinations of personal information, addresses, middle names and phone numbers. These programs are capable of thousands of login attempts per hour to gain access to your personal information and data. Yes, these thieves are using more advanced technology to steal your information or they can simply guess.
Always protect your personal information and data by creating a solid layer of defense by having strong passwords(change every 90 days) and utilize a password management tool such as LastPass or 1Password. If available, you can also use two-factor authentication. Below are some interesting stats and tips when creating a strong password.
<h2>Top 5 common passwords to avoid:</h2>
<ol>
<li>Numeric passwords such as 12345678.</li>
<li>Numeric passwords with numeric repeated digits such as 1111, 00000 or 202020.</li>
<li>Using the word password or variations such as&nbsp;p@ssword&nbsp;or passw0rd.</li>
<li>Using the word, Qwerty. It&rsquo;s the first keys from the left on the top row of your keyboard.</li>
<li>Sports names such as football, baseball, yankees, spurs and anything related to sports</li>
</ol>
<h2>How to create strong passwords?</h2>
<ol>
<li>Use 12 characters or more.</li>
<li>Include a combination of numbers, symbols, capital letters and lower-case letters.</li>
<li>Avoid dictionary words or combination of dictionary words. Example, &ldquo;house&rdquo; or &ldquo;red house.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t rely on obvious substitutions such as &ldquo;H0use.&rdquo; This isn&rsquo;t strong because you&rsquo;ve simply replaced with the o with a 0.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Some interesting stats:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Ninety percent of passwords generated by users are vulnerable to hacking.</li>
<li>One Billion Yahoo email accounts was compromised(hacked) in August of 2013. This does not include the breach that occurred and affected 500 million users in 2014.</li>
<li>Five Million Gmail passwords were hacked and released online in 2014.</li>
<li>Hackers stole 77 million Sony Playstation Network passwords in 2011.</li>
<li>The 2016 Identity Fraud Study released by Javelin Strategy &amp; Research, found that $15 billion were stolen from 13.1 million U.S. consumers in 2015 compared to $16 billion and 12.7 million victims a year earlier. In the past six years, cyber thieves have stolen $112 billion.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="please-keep-your-data-safe-by-creating-strong-passwords">Please keep your data safe by creating STRONG passwords!</h4>

The average person spends up to 11 hours a day online, but a lack of strong passwords endangers accounts and personal information.

Did you know that the average person spends up to 11 hours a day online? We are either ...

Importance of Good Password Management

Did you know that the average person spends up to 11 hours a day online? We are either online checking our email accounts, banking, shopping or on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But when it comes to protecting these accounts, most people do not have strong passwords.

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.

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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. ...

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