We use passwords to protect our online accounts and, thus, our privacy and security.
Until recently, cyber security experts agreed that passwords should be changed at least once every three months. But is that really necessary?
We’ve all experienced the frustration of resetting passwords at least once. Even if it only takes a few minutes, we would rather spend it doing something we love.
ExpressVPN’s study on resetting passwords reveals that over 76% of U.S. respondents have been locked out of their accounts after inputting a password incorrectly. That is undoubtedly a reason for frustration.
Business Point Of View
Many employers request that their employees change their passwords once every three months to keep it current and secure their accounts.
However, research has found that changing your passwords regularly has little to no impact on the security of your accounts.
This is because, at the end of the day, what matters most is how strong a password is.
Plus, with having to reset their passwords constantly, it’s likely that most employees rely on easily memorized passwords, which means they won’t be secure anyway.
Personal Risks
Password reset links are usually sent via email. If someone hacks your email, they could reset passwords for your other accounts.
We have all answered “secret” security questions while resetting passwords, and they are not so “secret” after all.
Just think of the info you gave away on your social media account, like your pet’s name, your hometown, your school, or your mother’s maiden name.
Today, we all have multiple online accounts. Imagine resetting all of them every three months.
If you follow all the guidelines, the passwords you create should be different for every account.
Also, creating a strong password isn’t a simple task. It should contain at least eleven characters, a mixture of upper and lowercase letters and numbers, and unique symbols.
That makes it even harder to memorize all the passwords you are using. That is why most people use the same password for every online account, making them more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
For all these reasons, cybersecurity experts concluded that it’s safer not to reset passwords frequently.
How To Stay Safe?
The answer is a password manager.
Using a strong password and using different passwords for different online accounts is essential.
With a password manager, you don’t have to worry that you’ll forget your passwords, and they will be easily manageable.
A password manager on your phone or computer will generate and remember your passwords for all your online accounts.
Many password managers also automatically enter passwords into websites and apps, so they save time.
Final Thoughts
Resetting passwords isn’t entirely harmless, and it comes with certain risks.
Although cyber security experts used to encourage resetting passwords every three to six months for security reasons, today, most agree that there is no need for this if we use a strong password.
The passwords protect our online accounts from intruders, so if the final goal is protecting our privacy and security online, it is important to manage our passwords properly.
