See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames and give you the best username ideas out there.

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why ...

How to Make a Good Username | Create a Unique and Secure Username

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why secure usernames are important, and how to create them effectively!

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?
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.
A strong, unique password is an effective 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.
But that is exactly what cybercriminals count on.
In this post, I will discuss the idea of "password strength" and what you can do to make your passwords more secure and easier to manage.
Table of Contents:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="#whatmakesapasswordstrong" rel="follow">What Makes a Password Strong?</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="#4tipsforstrongpassword" rel="follow">4 Tips for Making a Strong Password</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="#avoidthesepasswordmistakes" rel="follow">Avoid These Password Mistakes</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="#keepstrongpasswordsecure" rel="follow">How to Keep Strong Passwords Secure</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="whatmakesapasswordstrong">What Makes a Password Strong?</h2>
A strong password is considered to be a string of at least 12 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, they can't stop people from using that same password for multiple accounts, which is definitely not recommended.
<h3 dir="ltr">Password strength vs. password complexity</h3>
Let's start by talking about a couple of scenarios you have likely found yourself in:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
You sign up for an account or change your password online, where the site gives you feedback regarding strength. Usually, it's symbolized by a line or dot that changes from red (weak), yellow (decent), and green (strong).
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
You sign up for an online account or change your password on an account where a certain amount of complexity is required for a password to be accepted: minimum length, maximum length, special characters, capital letters, numbers, etc.
</li>
</ul>
So, when it comes to creating passwords, what do these terms, strength, and complexity mean?
There is some overlap between strength and complexity in passwords. A password like P@ssw0rd might meet the complexity requirements listed above, but it certainly isn't strong. You might ask yourself, "Why isn't that a strong password? Didn't it meet complexity requirements?"
The short answer is that while P@ssw0rd met some arbitrary complexity requirements, it isn't a strong password because it features the type of predictable substitutions that humans employ when trying to outsmart a computer. We&rsquo;ve used that exact password so much that computers know to try it (along with several hundred other common passwords) before anything else.
To better demonstrate the idea of password strength, I&rsquo;ll use an example from Gibson Research Corporation&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm">&ldquo;Password Haystack&rdquo; tool</a>: Which of the following two passwords is stronger, more secure, and more difficult to crack?
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;D0g.....................
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PrXyc.N(n4k77#L!eVdAfp9
It&rsquo;s a trick question. The first password is actually stronger, even though it contains a simple/common word like &lsquo;dog&rsquo; and uses predictable substitution. I believe this example serves as a great demonstration of how password strength differs from password complexity.&nbsp;
The first password is stronger for a couple of reasons:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
It employs &ldquo;padding&rdquo; in the password (that&rsquo;s all of those periods at the end).
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
It&rsquo;s one character longer than the second.
</li>
</ol>
Why? It&rsquo;s due to the idea of a password&rsquo;s &ldquo;search space,&rdquo; or the number of different combinations of passwords that can be created using different character sets and a password&rsquo;s length.&nbsp;
This number of different combinations is used to exemplify the number of &ldquo;attempts&rdquo; an attacker would have to make in order to crack that password; the more attempts needed, the better. It&rsquo;s important to note (as the Haystack tool points out) that the padding in the example padded password isn&rsquo;t great; it&rsquo;s repetitive and only at the end of the password.&nbsp;
In theory, the first password is more secure. But if this type of padding were to become common, attackers would likely include these types of variations in the dictionaries (lists of common passwords) they use when attempting to crack a password.
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">How does a password get hacked? What can you do to prevent that?</h3>
A strong password is the simplest yet most powerful tool against cyberattacks. It can thwart malicious access to your personal details and protect you from fraud and other devastating consequences of a data breach.
When it comes to preventing your passwords from being hacked, there are some things you can control and others you cannot. Let's start by exploring the things you cannot control.
<h4 dir="ltr">What you can't control</h4>
How online services store their users' passwords
Online services rarely tell you how they store your password. Even if they did, you aren&rsquo;t able to change it.&nbsp;
Hopefully, every online service you subscribe to uses a secure password hashing algorithm to obscure your password before they store it. There are many different approaches to hashing passwords; some are more secure than others, and an essential difference between algorithms is how fast or slow they are.
Ideally, your password is hashed using a robust, slow algorithm so that an attacker is constrained in the number of attempts per second/minute they are able to make.
This difference in speed is another reason why having a strong password is so important: if you take the time to generate a strong password (long, difficult to guess), it will take much longer for an attacker to guess your password correctly.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, some online services don't hash passwords at all, which means passwords are stored in plain text that can be read by anyone with access to the database where user information is stored, which leaves your password completely exposed if a malicious actor was able to get the contents of a service's passwords.
How an attack is executed
Hackers can employ various tools, strategies, and hardware in an attack. If an attacker can generate 10 thousand attempts per second, there is an extremely high likelihood that a hacker will crack a short but complex password in a reasonable amount of time.
Here&rsquo;s a real example: I used a random password generator to generate this password of 8 characters: 2xI5#%fX. This would be cracked in about 3 hours if an attacker were able to generate 10 thousand guesses per second. If I double the length of the password to 16 characters (t16qq*T4u*#^WtEg), it&rsquo;s estimated that it would take over 100 years to crack the password at 10 thousand attempts per second. 10 thousand attempts per second may seem like a lot, but if we&rsquo;re talking about an offline device, like your laptop, it&rsquo;s quite possible for an attacker with the right means.
<h3 dir="ltr">What you can control</h3>
How your passwords are generated and stored
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kPcD-ph37Lp_D9cBzfm641SJR49zd-nzRNU9bf_qYERhfzwvHk3UdjaMRoDuT5VR5YMRdDPJjUuGTg0DgwoJZK_K_pZ2ojqqE8duCf6Pm8FzMtu2BBDBOu1PHscUjTjEHpdtmaKKcLI-5pdZSwGBJ3s" width="624" height="247">
A good password manager will store passwords in an encrypted state and use a robust and secure algorithm to generate passwords for you. The combination of these two things is the most straightforward step you can take to improve your overall password strength and security. For example, our password manager, TeamPassword, offers a password generation tool with options to specify password length and character sets. TeamPassword makes it easy to generate and save secure passwords for any service you use. Additionally, TeamPassword encrypts all passwords with a "master key" (that you set) before sending them to their servers. No one can read them without your master key.
How passwords are shared within your business
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3b1HaJpdg6bCgPp9lUAncw1H7Hr6veCYgpiqGnUYnMdNiYAKi9j1sh71xGDVIFyJ8rdz5JmXsWqlJdik1f0ElA3bw5syZuIRxfc20RVvzQwCZIcVhAs_cvSrQymKvYju8luU6SYQy2oJ2hD0UvCKuco" width="334" height="260">
One common and insecure practice that I've seen companies employ is to keep a spreadsheet of passwords to company services that are shared with everyone in the company. It's dangerous because it lacks any granularity in who can see/use passwords in the company. This is another area where a password manager is desirable, as it can provide<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/secure-password-sharing"> essential access controls</a> to company account passwords.
<h2 id="4tipsforstrongpassword">4 Tips for Making a Strong Password</h2>
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Use a Password Manager to Keep Track of your Passwords</h3>
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9gqIpgPwQuKxM5LAhaNxYzAoC24RcNSrqFcIs5LOhatiZlcpo472A2BqCEfX_RYAPDNClCvxCPVx7q3lx6YwigDrxGusnZ2uxjSEw1XhpX_-BWSawh6TemBiObrc0u5kg7lQiFs0us9RMaiVIhnHrws" width="412" height="262">
Creating and remembering unique passwords for all these accounts is difficult. This is where your password manager comes in handy. A tool like<a href="https://teampassword.com/"> TeamPassword</a> keeps track of all your passwords and manages access to the different sites and apps you use.
This software stores all log-in information for all sites and accounts you use and helps you log into them automatically. The software encrypts your password database with a master password which is the only one you need to remember.
<h3 dir="ltr">2. Use a Password Generator, or create a Passphrase</h3>
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/42GcXutqEVLUiVFAcdhGJhYoWTyNCLLTFUEd_goJO5n0arjSnSQ9I5Ajm6D1eIQrV7lcPVyKWp76YbgkCZvK5UO6CwPVUsVAq_ydwq3YdamXzDf8v25F6V6_WEbJOzJ6SIpwYb_h0k_27y8phV45LIE" width="445" height="277">
The simplest way to create a strong password is to use a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a>. However, consider creating a passphrase if you need to remember the password. Use a sequence of words that creates a funny and memorable image or are related to the product for which you&rsquo;re creating it.&nbsp;
Good passphrase:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
frog-yellowish-stranger-Timestamp
</li>
</ul>
Even though this lacks a variety of character types, it clocks in at 33 characters which makes it an incredibly high-entropy password.&nbsp;
Bad passphrase:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
the-windmills-of-your-mind
</li>
</ul>
Stay away from song lyrics, famous quotes, and phrases that make sense.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">3. Longer is Better: 12 Characters is a Starting Point</h3>
As we learned in the &ldquo;How an attack is executed&rdquo; section, simply doubling an 8-character password to 16 characters can easily 35x the amount of time it takes for a cybercriminal to crack your password.&nbsp;
We recommend using the longest password the service will allow. Since you&rsquo;re using a password manager and your passwords are conveniently auto-filled or copy-pasted, there&rsquo;s no reason not to go long.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">4. Use Two-factor Authentication (2FA)</h3>
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Xddjq43lhwTm0igWLehZzUi0WbcGXRLVYKEMtAheREOcLhJcmuCW259XGE8dVRbF9dDnOY40gOOEksfQ3a6db3BySOxRdOGiNOvgiDhrwNd650jpDUtUfu9cDLEXNjejxBdvV2Q3w9QsKs-LJFHR5sA" width="388" height="304">
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the most sophisticated data security technologies. This security system requires two unique forms of identification to access an account.
Your password is the first security factor, and the second can be biometrics using your fingerprint, face, retina, a text with a code sent to your email/smartphone, or a code on an authenticator app on your phone. For high-security applications, you can set up physical keys such as Yubikey.&nbsp;
The unlikely will eventually happen. Servers get hacked. Your super-strong password may get compromised. 2FA provides a lot more security for a little extra effort.&nbsp;
<h2 id="avoidthesepasswordmistakes">Avoid These Password Mistakes</h2>
<h3 dir="ltr">Don&rsquo;t reuse passwords across accounts</h3>
Because there are things we cannot control, limiting the impact of a password being leaked or stolen is essential. The best way to defend against this possibility is to use a unique password for every service that requires a password. By never reusing a password, you limit the scope of impact that a single stolen password could have on your business.
In many cases, when a large group of passwords is stolen, they are leaked or sold online, and you can guarantee that some attackers will take that information and try it on more services than the one from which a hacker stole the password.
<h3 dir="ltr">Avoid Using Passwords Known to be Stolen</h3>
When in doubt, check the compromised password database <a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords">haveibeenpwned</a>.
Words and phrases such as &ldquo;password,&rdquo; &ldquo;security&rdquo;, &ldquo;default&rdquo;, 123456789, QWERTY, abc123, will be hacked in seconds. The easiest password combinations are also the riskiest.
Look out for information on cybercriminal activity and data breaches to stay informed regarding your information. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of people&rsquo;s account data is leaked annually.
<h3 dir="ltr">Don't store passwords where they can be discovered</h3>
Storing your passwords in spreadsheets, emails, messaging tools, or note-taking apps are just a few ways people expose themselves to cyberattacks. Avoid these<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/top-5-dangerous-ways-to-store-your-passwords"> dangerous ways to store your passwords</a> and opt for an encrypted password management tool.
<h2 id="keepstrongpasswordsecure">How to Keep Strong Passwords Secure</h2>
Keeping individual and group-shared passwords secure can be a difficult task. Thankfully, password managers exist for this reason. Many businesses utilize a team password manager like TeamPassword as a fast, easy, and secure way for team members to share and access logins and passwords. We have a variety of<a href="https://teampassword.com/security"> password security features</a> that keep your data safe. Protect yourself with TeamPassword today - <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">try us for free for 14 days</a>.&nbsp;

Discover how to create strong, unique passwords. Learn why it's crucial for businesses and individuals to adopt this practice and how to make it easier to manage. Protect yourself from cybercriminals with this essential guide to password strength.

Discover how to create strong, unique passwords. Learn why it's crucial for businesses and individuals to adopt this ...

How to Make a Strong Password (and Keep it Secure) | TeamPassword

How to Make a Strong Password (and Keep it Secure)

By now, we all know that&nbsp;hacking is no joke. Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds &mdash; with it, all your personal and financial information. A corporate cyber attack can be devastating, but large corporations usually have their own security teams to help get their systems back online. However, the&nbsp;effects of an attack&nbsp;on a small business can be almost impossible to recover from.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;is built to protect your company&rsquo;s most important information and ensure that the right people have easy access when they need it.
<h3 id="ensuring-that-you-re-using-strong-passwords-is-the-first-and-most-important-step-in-protecting-your-online-information-there-are-two-main-questions-to-consider-here-">Ensuring that you&rsquo;re using&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-best-practices-what-makes-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">strong passwords</a>&nbsp;is the first and most important step in protecting your online information. There are two main questions to consider here:</h3>
<ol>
<li>How easy would it be for a human to guess your password?</li>
<li>How easy would it be for a computer to guess your password?</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="review-the-checklist-below-to-decide-whether-your-passwords-are-strong-enough-to-keep-out-hackers-"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/DA8Wvm4LRwWR3palIUmZ" width="497" height="165" /></h3>
TeamPassword provides <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">free tools</a> to generate new passwords and test your current ones.&nbsp;
<h3>Review the checklist below to decide whether your passwords are strong enough to keep out hackers.</h3>
<ul>
<li>Does your password include personal information that would be easy for someone to guess? This might include your spouse&rsquo;s or significant other&rsquo;s name, the names or ages of your children, the names of pets, your hometown, the type of car you drive, or your mother&rsquo;s maiden name.</li>
<li>Does your password include sequential numbers or letters? (1234567, abcdefg, 1111111, zyxwvu, etc.)</li>
<li>Is your password a string of letters on your keyboard? (qwerty, lkjhgf, zxcvbnm)</li>
<li>Do you use the same password across several platforms? (If someone can hack into one account, they can get into them all!)</li>
</ul>
If you answered &ldquo;yes&rdquo; to any of the above, then it is definitely time to update those passwords!
<h3 id="use-these-tips-to-ensure-your-password-is-strong-secure-and-as-hacker-proof-as-possible-">Use these tips to ensure your password is as strong, secure, and hacker-proof.&nbsp;</h3>
<ul>
<li>Your password should be long (6-34 characters, but longer is better, so why not shoot for 42 or 67?!). Today&rsquo;s brute-force cracking software can unscramble 6-10 character passwords in seconds.</li>
<li>Your password should be complex: It contains both upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.</li>
<li>Your password should be randomized: It is not necessarily a real word but a random jumble of characters and numbers. This makes it nearly impossible to break and harder for you to remember, so you&rsquo;ll need to devise a system to safely store your randomized passwords &mdash; password managers like TeamPassword generate, store and remember them for you.</li>
<li>Create a passphrase: String several words together to make a short sentence (using upper and lowercase letters) or make up a mnemonic device to help you remember.</li>
<li>Your password should be unique: You use a different password for every platform, app, and the website you log into.</li>
</ul>
It&rsquo;s also important to remember that your overall password security is only as good as the weakest security on the website you&rsquo;re using. If one website is compromised and you&rsquo;re using the same password across several sites, you&rsquo;re at extremely high risk of being hacked. If you&rsquo;re wary of a website&rsquo;s security, it may be wise to create a different email (think of it as your &ldquo;burner&rdquo; email) for that account, so if the site&rsquo;s security is compromised, the account isn&rsquo;t tied to your primary email. In this case, you could also generate a randomized username and password to be extra safe.
<h3 id="how-often-should-you-change-your-passwords">How often should you change your passwords?</h3>
Start with strong passwords; you shouldn&rsquo;t worry too much about them. Unless a service is compromised or you know someone has your password, it will be very difficult to crack a password that follows the above rules. If you receive a notice that a website you use has been breached, you should immediately change that password &mdash; but if you&rsquo;re using a password that&rsquo;s unique only to that site, you won&rsquo;t need to worry about your other accounts.&nbsp;
You can check if your password has been compromised at&nbsp;<a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com." rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">haveibeenpwned</a>.
It&rsquo;s advised to update your passwords every year or so, which looks different depending on the account. For instance, you could change your company's CRM accounts after the new year or your banking information after tax season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
For a more in-depth guide, see <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-your-password-the-importance-of-password-safety" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re worried about your company&rsquo;s online security or think your passwords are putting your personal information at risk, then it&rsquo;s time to&nbsp;consider using a password management system that can guarantee safety. Learn how we can keep your business and personal life safe at&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/features" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>!

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds — and with it, all your personal and financi

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a ...

Checklist — How to Hacker-Proof Your Passwords

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds — and with it, all your personal and financial information. A corporate cyber attack can be devastating, but large corporations usually have their own security teams to help get ...

iCloud Keychain is Apple's password management system. So how good is Apple's password management software? And what can it do for you?

iCloud Keychain is Apple's password management system. So how good is Apple's password management software? And what can ...

What is iCloud Keychain and Is It a Good Password Manager

What is iCloud Keychain, and Is It a Good Password Manager?

<div class="">
Passwords are the gateways to our internet accounts and are the first line of defense for your company&rsquo;s data. Think about what information is held within your company computers and accounts: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for your customers (including name, phone number, address, and email) and PCI data (credit card and banking information). This information is extremely valuable, and small businesses like yours are <a href="https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8231-small-business-cybersecurity-guide.html" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">regularly targeted&nbsp;</a>by cybercriminals. Passwords are a common vector since once you crack or obtain one, it is trivial for a hacker to export all of the data on the account.
<h3 class="pd-sh-color pd-sh-color-black">There are two big reasons you should be using a password manager:</h3>
1) Industry standard recommendations require strong, unique passwords. Generally speaking the longer the password, the harder it is to crack. It's also important not to use common words one can find in the dictionary. (You can read more from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency <a href="https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-002" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>). Ideally, your passwords look like this: "39)*Q$bU%ER%#ZsBew*Ai0HRIV25XiLl&rdquo; (this one was just auto-generated from a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">password generator</a> in 2 mouse clicks).&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/FuBMN80dSwCmrWBIJTjl" width="996" height="328" />
2) You need to remember that long, complex password for every site you visit. Would you rather store them in an encrypted database that only you can decrypt or in a spreadsheet or notebook that can be lost or stolen? &nbsp;Some businesses go the route of using shared spreadsheets like Google Sheets. But his has a <a href="https://blog.teampassword.com/the-risks-of-storing-your-passwords-in-google-sheets/" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">number of issues as well</a>&nbsp;since you have to carefully set up access controls, manage different groups, and track when people make changes. These are all intuitive functions of a password manager.
3) You&rsquo;ll have to share a password with a colleague in many scenarios. Most people would just send an email with the login information. It gets the job done, but it&rsquo;s not the safest way. TeamPassword allows you to share logins without potentially compromising data.&nbsp;
<h3 class="pd-sh-color pd-sh-color-black">Are password managers easy to use?</h3>
These are the big security and management reasons, but there are a lot of<a href="https://blog.teampassword.com/why-all-businesses-should-use-a-team-password-manager/" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;intangible benefits</a>:
1) Productivity: How many times a day are you trying to remember passwords or answering questions from colleagues that are trying to get into shared accounts? This is instant and intuitive with TeamPassword.&nbsp;
2) Avoiding Extra Accounts: It's easy to forget about the subscriptions you're paying for. When you have one spot for all of your company accounts, it's easier to keep track of what tools or software systems you are and aren't using.&nbsp;
3) Speeding up Secure Onboarding and Off-Boarding: OneLogin's 2019 study revealed that 50% of ex-employees still had access to company data, and 20% of businesses experienced data breaches due to former employees. With a password manager, you can create groups (marketing, accounting, etc.) and easily share and revoke access as employees come and go.
In the end, cybersecurity products don't directly contribute to revenue so they can be hard to justify when you purely look at cost-- in that way they're like insurance. According to an IBM <a href="https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">study</a>, the average cost per record lost in a breach is $150, which adds up quickly&mdash;the loss of 100 customer data records would be $15,000 (which more than covers the cost of a password manager). But this usually requires investigation and remediation, costing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/13/cyberattacks-cost-small-companies-200k-putting-many-out-of-business.html" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">small businesses up to $200,000</a>. If you have California Customers, their data is protected by the CCPA (check your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mypillow.com/california-consumer-privacy-act" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">website</a>), which can fine businesses $2500 per record for an&nbsp;unintentional violation. Each state has its own specific rules, so it's helpful to check an <a href="https://iapp.org/resources/article/state-comparison-table/" class="" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">overview of data privacy and security laws</a> by state,
</div>
<div class="">
<article class="single-article">
<div class="single-article-content">
<h3>A Password Manager Can Help</h3>
Password managers, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>, enable users to create strong passwords and access them without remembering 16 randomized digits. By making it easy for users to comply with the most stringent password security measures, you keep your business and your customers safer. Start <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">protecting your teams now with TeamPassword</a>!
</div>
</article>
</div>

Passwords are the gateways to our internet accounts and the first line of defense for your company’s data. How are you protecting yours?

Passwords are the gateways to our internet accounts, and are the first line of defense for your company’s ...

Why Password Managers are a Need and not a Want

Passwords are the gateways to our internet accounts, and are the first line of defense for your company’s data. Think about what information is held within your company computers and accounts: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for your customers (including name, phone number, address, email) and PCI data (credit card and banking information).

We've all worked with agencies who don't have their processes together, causing projects to run over schedule and over budget. Password managers provide a built-in procedure for handling sensitive information so you can win clients&rsquo; trust and outperform the competition. Not all password managers are created with business security in mind. Make sure yours has the following features so that you're improving security&nbsp;and&nbsp;saving time.&nbsp;
<h2>Control Access</h2>
Follow two simple steps to ensure your team members have the up-to-date information they need, and clients feel secure knowing that only the people directly involved in their project have access to their information.
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Create an individual Group for the client where you&rsquo;ll store all their specific logins</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Add agency team members working on that client&rsquo;s account</li>
</ol>
<h2><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/K8IRmYGKRDGsltcdm3Om" alt="undefined" width="335" height="261" class="butter-float-left" /></h2>
<h2>Generate Secure Passwords</h2>
Show clients that you take the threat of hacking very seriously. Utilizing <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword&rsquo;s password generator</a> to create long, randomized passwords for you and your clients adds yet another layer of security to protect your (and their) online information.
<h2>Store and Share Client Passwords Securely</h2>
I&rsquo;d hate to be the <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/2022-uber-breach#:~:text=In%20this%20case%2C%20one%20Uber%20contractor%20unknowingly%20allowed%20the%20hackers%20the%20access%20they%20needed." rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">contractor targeted</a> during the 2022 Uber data breach. In that instance, poor password hygiene opened the door for the cybercriminal to bully the contractor into giving up their multi-factor authentication code. Help your employees, your clients, and ultimately yourself by using a product built to share passwords securely. TeamPassword allows you to add and remove users with the click of a button.&nbsp;
<h2>Streamline Processes</h2>
With TeamPassword, we give you a centralized, client-friendly way to request logins so you can start providing value to your client (and start logging billable hours) immediately. Our streamlined process makes you look like the pro you are &mdash; and promises that you&rsquo;ll never waste your clients time having to go back to ask for passwords.
If you&rsquo;re interested in trying TeamPassword with a 14-day free trial, sign up <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!

Having good password processes in place shows new clients that your agency is credible, efficient and security conscious.

We've all worked with agencies who don't have their processes together, causing projects to run over schedule and ...

Improve your Agency's Security - Get a Password Manager

We've all worked with agencies who don't have their processes together, causing projects to run over schedule and over budget. TeamPassword provides a built-in procedure for handling sensitive information so you can win clients’ trust and outperform the competition. Having good password processes in place shows new clients that your ...

Solving Common Agency Problems with a Password Manager

Passwords are a fact of life in the digital age.&nbsp;
We all know <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/variety-is-the-spice-of-life-and-the-key-to-security" style="color: #40d8e3;">the perils of using one password</a> for all our accounts. (It&rsquo;s basically like unlocking every room and safe in your house and then leaving the front door wide open.) However, creating unique and strong passwords for every account can be overwhelming.&nbsp;
Third-party password managers are a safe choice. Internet browsers are another popular option. Chrome is an internet browser that Google created and released in 2008. Initially designed for Windows XP, Chrome is now compatible with any platform, including Macs, PCs, and all types of mobile devices.&nbsp;
In 2022, Chrome dominated the global desktop web browser game, claiming nearly 70 percent of the market share. Its popularity is mainly due to its ease of use and customization options, such as extensions for ad blockers, language translators, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Google Chrome has made it easy to save and store your passwords in your browser, so you never have to remember them or type them in manually. Plus, it&rsquo;s free and already at your fingertips.&nbsp;
But is this method of storing your passwords secure? Here is all you need to know about Chrome password safety.&nbsp;
<h2>Is Google Chrome Password Manager Safe?</h2>
While better than having no password manager, Chrome password safety could be better. One of the most significant Chrome password security issues is that Chrome wasn't built to be a password manager. It's an added feature&mdash;an afterthought. Chrome was solely constructed and optimized to be a web browser.&nbsp;
For this reason, Chrome password safety will never be on par with what a dedicated password manager can offer.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s like the difference between buying a croissant from your local coffee shop and buying a croissant from a patisserie owned by a baker trained in France.&nbsp;
Specialization produces a superior product, whether it&rsquo;s pastries or password managers.&nbsp;
But Chrome&rsquo;s password security issues go deeper.
<h2>Chrome Passwords Are Basic and Fixed&nbsp;</h2>
One of the basic features of Chrome passwords is that it offers to create "strong" passwords, a long series of letters, numbers, and characters that would be nearly impossible for a human to guess offhand.&nbsp;
The problem is that although these passwords look complex, they usually need to be corrected, and you need the option to customize them. You can't make them longer, add more characters, or do anything beyond giving Google permission to submit and save its suggestions.&nbsp;
Regarding password safety, Chrome forces you to take the passenger seat while it drives, all in the name of convenience.&nbsp;
Is the trade-off between control and convenience worth it? The short answer is no.&nbsp;
<h2>Can Google Password Manager Be Hacked?</h2>
We saved the biggest problem with Chrome password safety for last.&nbsp;
When you use Chrome passwords, or any browser-based password manager for that matter, getting access to your accounts is as simple as gaining access to your device.&nbsp;
Anyone who lays hands on your device at the office, the cafe, or the subway (if you accidentally leave your briefcase behind) can access every account you have saved in Chrome passwords.&nbsp;
This leaves you wide open to being hacked.&nbsp;
Most of us sync our Chrome accounts across devices. It&rsquo;s easy to forget which devices have access. Check that <a href="https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3067630?hl=en" style="color: #40d8e3;">here</a>.&nbsp;
A <a href="https://teampassword.com/" style="color: #40d8e3;">dedicated password manager</a> protects you by requiring you to log in with a separate &ldquo;master&rdquo; password. It automatically locks your passwords after a specific amount of time has passed.&nbsp;
<h2>How Does Chrome Create and Store Passwords?</h2>
The convenience of Google Chrome is what hooks most users. It's free and doesn't require installation.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s how it works. The first time you enter a password on a new website, Chrome will send a prompt that asks if you want to save it. You can choose &ldquo;Save&rdquo; or &ldquo;Not Now.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/9ap7QrePRexD7BPrPvFs" width="320" height="295" />
For many people, that little pop-up is a welcome sight. They click &ldquo;Save&rdquo; and sigh in relief that they don&rsquo;t have to commit the password to memory or record it somewhere, which can make it vulnerable to loss or theft.&nbsp;
However, the relief they feel is somewhat misplaced.&nbsp;
<h2>Is a Dedicated Password Manager Worth It?&nbsp;</h2>
This is a choice that only you can make. Consider the following scenario if you&rsquo;re unsure about disabling Chrome passwords and switching to a dedicated password manager.&nbsp;
Imagine what would happen if your passwords were compromised. You wake up one day, and without warning, you can no longer access your email (your personal and work accounts), your online banking, your usual online shopping sites, your stored cloud data, or your social media accounts. Everything is locked away and out of your reach.&nbsp;
Or worse, <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" style="color: #40d8e3;">you don&rsquo;t know you&rsquo;ve been hacked</a> until later when you get a huge credit card bill or something else that reveals someone stole your identity.&nbsp;
This would be a life-altering event, wouldn&rsquo;t it? Trying to undo the consequences would be extremely costly in time and money.&nbsp;
A password manager can prevent this kind of upheaval from happening to you. And while password managers aren&rsquo;t free like Google Chrome, they are well worth the investment.&nbsp;
<h2>An Alternative That Doesn&rsquo;t Share Chrome&rsquo;s Password Security Issues</h2>
TeamPassword offers a fast, safe, and easy solution for storing and managing your passwords that doesn&rsquo;t leave you vulnerable to Chrome password security issues. Another plus is that TeamPassword has a Chrome extension that holds all your personal and company login information. And even if someone has access to your device, they cannot get through to your TeamPassword account without knowing your master password and having access to your Google Authenticator.&nbsp;
TeamPassword is an app dedicated to cybersecurity. Passwords aren&rsquo;t just an extra feature; it&rsquo;s all we do.&nbsp;
An additional feature is our <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" style="color: #40d8e3;">password generator</a> and password strength tester. Our customizable password generator is the way to go if you are stuck trying to create a password. You could also test to see if your current passwords are secure. It&rsquo;ll also give you an estimate of how long it&rsquo;ll take to be hacked.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/U5f1HACnQ02Us7NjHlMT" width="796" height="264" />
Create and customize strong passwords you can use with any browser or device, and access all your passwords whenever and wherever you need them.&nbsp;
With TeamPassword, your passwords are secure, even if your device falls into the wrong hands.&nbsp;
With all that being said, while using the Chrome password manager seems more convenient, it&rsquo;s not the most secure way to hold your passwords.&nbsp;

Are Chrome passwords really safe? Learn about the Chrome password security issues you need to know to protect yourself and your privacy.

Are Chrome passwords really safe? Learn about the Chrome password security issues you need to know to protect ...

Are Chrome Passwords Safe?

Is Google Chrome Password Manager Safe? (Updated for 2023)

Learn what to do if you forgot your Facebook password and how to use TeamPassword to make sure you never forget a password again.

Learn what to do if you forgot your Facebook password and how to use TeamPassword to make sure ...

What To Do If You Forgot Your Old Facebook Login

What To Do If You Forgot Your Old Facebook Login | TeamPassword

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 ...

What is password encryption and how much is enough?

What is password encryption and how does it work?

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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<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!
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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;
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<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>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<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.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
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!

TeamPassword Blog

Browse our carefully created articles about Information Security, Password Management, Product Information, and Modern Business, all written with your team's safety and success in mind.

Most popular articles

Password Management

October 24, 2023 ∙ 11 min read

How to Make a Good Username | Create a Unique and Secure Username

What To Do If You Forgot Your Old Facebook Login | TeamPassword

What is password encryption and how does it work?

10 extremely successful freelancers and what they do

Password Management

February 6, 2023 ∙ 11 min read

How to Make a Strong Password (and Keep it Secure)

Password Management

January 24, 2023 ∙ 4 min read

Checklist — How to Hacker-Proof Your Passwords

Password Management

January 17, 2023 ∙ 13 min read

What is iCloud Keychain, and Is It a Good Password Manager?

Password Management

January 11, 2023 ∙ 4 min read

Why Password Managers are a Need and not a Want

Password Management

January 10, 2023 ∙ 2 min read

Solving Common Agency Problems with a Password Manager

Password Management

January 8, 2023 ∙ 6 min read

Is Google Chrome Password Manager Safe? (Updated for 2023)

The Password Manager for Teams

Product

Support

Channels

Legal