Would you leave your house keys with a stranger? Surely not. For the same reason, you should not make your passwords accessible for your mobile phone, computer equipment, or internet applications.
In an increasingly digital world and society, passwords are key to protecting our information and preventing cyberattacks. To raise awareness about the importance of having secure keys that prevent the theft of personal information, World Password Day is celebrated on the first Thursday of May.
This date is set to remind us that passwords are our main line of defense against cybercriminals; they protect our information, especially the most valuable data, such as the content of our communications, access to our devices, and even our bank account balances.
Having a password that is easy to guess makes us vulnerable. IT experts’ advice for protecting our passwords ranges from their length (the longer, the better) and combining characters (numbers and letters, lowercase and uppercase) to avoiding common words, as well as password rotation and multi-factor authentication that includes an additional factor.
It must be impersonal; you should avoid using dates such as a child’s birthday, the name of a relative or a favorite pet, or any information that can be easily associated with you. It must also be secret and, if possible, never shared with anyone. Likewise, changing our password regularly reduces the likelihood of our account (or accounts) being compromised.
Digitalization is beneficial in many aspects, such as when making well-informed decisions to acquire goods, accessing private and public services quickly and easily, and, above all, communicating and interacting conveniently, immediately, and from anywhere.
But we must also be aware of its risks.
Combating cybercrime has become a top priority for everyone, a common task: whether in our private lives or as workers in all types of companies, institutions, or governments.
We have a responsibility to prevent and combat it: companies and authorities must invest in protection and in strengthening collaboration between all parties involved; individuals must also assume the responsibility of protecting our own data and acting with caution, because it is advisable to protect our information to avoid both the damage that its theft can cause us and the possibility of it being used to harm our loved ones.
It is important to accept that we are all potential victims of cybercriminals because they seek to surprise the least cautious and the most distracted. Faced with an increasingly global and sophisticated threat, being aware of that possibility is the first step in protecting oneself from that risk.
In all cases, beyond their enormous financial consequences, attacks inflict damage on our security and trust.
Cybersecurity is fundamental for banks, which put all the means at their disposal to guarantee the security of their customers and face the risks that will surely appear in the future. The banking sector has proven experience in protecting the personal and financial data of its customers and continuously reviews its capacity for defense, detection, and response to cyberattacks, but customer collaboration is also needed to fight this fraud.
It is clear that advancing the digital skills of society will allow us to take full advantage of the transformation we are experiencing.
Innovation, in its digital version, was key to improving our daily lives during confinement and the worst moments of the pandemic. In this era, a world without the advantages of digital innovation is already unthinkable.
However, better use of the internet also includes raising awareness of its risks, because as long as they are real, they cannot be forgotten in any way.
