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Macro Systems Blog

Macro Systems has been serving the Metro Washington, DC area since 1997, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Secure Password Tips

Secure Password Tips

Passwords protect nearly all of your accounts... or at least you hope that they do. Alas, making a super-secure password that’s easy to remember can be harder than people expect. Oftentimes, it feels like you are constantly solving a puzzle. So then, how do you create passwords that keep hackers out without driving yourself insane? In this month’s newsletter, we discuss this very problem.

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The Latest Lesson We Can Learn from Disney: Manage Permissions More Cautiously

The Latest Lesson We Can Learn from Disney: Manage Permissions More Cautiously

The Disney brand has long cultivated an image of magic and wonder. That being said, this image has yet to materialize any magical effects in reality. For example: people still suffer from food allergies while visiting Disney’s various parks.

This makes it especially dangerous that a former Disney employee was allegedly still able to access a specialized menu-planning app and make alterations, like changing prices, adding language that Disney certainly would not approve of, switching text to the unintelligible “Wingdings” font, and worst of all… changing menu information.

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How to Make Your Passwords More Secure in 2024

How to Make Your Passwords More Secure in 2024

Passwords have long been one of the central pillars of account security on the Internet. Combined with a username, they make up the foundation of most login systems. Because of this, they are a hot commodity for hackers who want to steal credentials and infiltrate accounts or networks. However, in recent years, other security measures have exposed the weakness of poor passwords for security, leading to the adoption of other measures.

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5 Strategies to Improve Your Password Management

5 Strategies to Improve Your Password Management

Passwords are the keys to digital access, but they're often not treated as keys; they aren’t always protected by their users. Alas, people don’t always do everything they can to protect their passwords and there are a lot more scammers out there than pickpockets.

Effective password management is imperative for any organization. It works to maintain the security of online accounts and sensitive information. Listed below are five ways to control and enhance your password management.

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What You Need to Know About Browser-Based Password Managers

What You Need to Know About Browser-Based Password Managers

One of the reasons that information technology keeps evolving is for the sake of the user and their convenience using it. That being said, if this convenience comes at the sacrifice of your business’ cybersecurity, it just isn’t worth it. This is the crux of why we always recommend that any company seeking to use password management should invest in a reputable password management software, rather than the built-in capabilities of modern browsers.

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Could Passkeys Replace Passwords?

Could Passkeys Replace Passwords?

Whether you love them or hate them, passwords serve a critical purpose in the realm of cybersecurity. They are the first line of defense against potential threats, yet they are also notoriously easy to crack. Some of the biggest names in technology have been working on ways to get around the challenges presented by password security, including one that we are excited to highlight in today’s blog.

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Stop Using Weak Passwords

Stop Using Weak Passwords

Simple passwords are often the bane of a business’ existence. If you routinely use strings like Password, 123456, Guest,  or Qwerty to secure an account, then you need to reexamine your password practices before they result in a data breach. A good password can go a long way toward helping you in this effort.

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Google Considering Password Less Authentication

Google Considering Password Less Authentication

Password less authentication has been increasingly spoken of in favor of the usual password-based method, and is gaining traction the more it is talked about. Google recently took steps toward password less that warrants some discussion.

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A Possible Alternative to Multi-Factor Authentication

A Possible Alternative to Multi-Factor Authentication

User authentication is an imperative security feature for a business, specifically because it helps to reduce a significant threat to your business. This is why we’re so adamant that you should require multi-factor authentication wherever it is available… but is a better way to authenticate your users on the horizon?

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The Problem with Passwords

The Problem with Passwords

Passwords have been a primary data security measure since 1960, when MIT researcher Fernando Corbató suggested the practice, although even he is reportedly slow to take full credit. Why? Well, if you ask Corbató (and his contemporaries, who were the first to implement passwords as we’d recognize them today), the security concerns were limited.

So, have we reached the point where it would be best to replace passwords as the default authentication measure?

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Create Secure Accounts with These Strong Password Tips

Create Secure Accounts with These Strong Password Tips

Keeping a secure password is a little confusing these days, especially when the standards for what is an acceptable, complex password seem to keep shifting back and forth. Let’s take a look at some of the industry-standard best practices for passwords and how you can implement them for your business.

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How the Most Popular Browsers Integrate Password Management

How the Most Popular Browsers Integrate Password Management

Most accounts these days require a password and, as such, the average user has countless of these codes that need to be kept secure. Some web browsers have built-in password management tools to help make them more user-friendly, but with so much convenience involved, one has to ask whether or not these built-in management tools are as secure as they should be.

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What to Know About Passwordless Authentication

What to Know About Passwordless Authentication

If you were told that one variable was responsible for more than 80 percent of cyberattacks, what would you guess that variable was? If you guessed “stolen access credentials,” you’d be right. The standard username/password combination may soon be a relic of the past as more tech companies transition to alternative authentication measures.

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Good and Outdated Password Hygiene Strategies

Good and Outdated Password Hygiene Strategies

The password is the primary element of both data security and user authentication; this makes the construction of them extremely imperative to protecting digital assets. Alas, not everyone comprehends how to construct passwords that actually work to protect the information on the other side. Listed below is a discussion on how to create a solid password that works to keep your digital resources safe.

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A Guide on Best Practices for Creating Strong, Safe Passwords

A Guide on Best Practices for Creating Strong, Safe Passwords

Protecting your online accounts, your data, and your clients’ information is now more critical than ever. Industry and state-mandated compliances are now forcing businesses to tighten their cybersecurity, and it’s imperative that every human being on the Internet take their own personal security seriously. This guide is designed to offer the best practices for strong passwords.

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How to Enhance Your Password Practices

How to Enhance Your Password Practices

Passwords can be irritating. However, they are also incredibly imperative to your organization's overall security strategy. We’ve all heard the suggestions on how to create secure passwords; as it turns out, there is more to modern security then that. Let’s explore a few options to help you create useful passwords, and take a look why passwords are only the beginning. 

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The Latest Password Recommendations by NIST

The Latest Password Recommendations by NIST

Passwords are always a significant irritation for businesses, but in some industries, their importance is highlighted more than others. Specifically, government-based businesses need to be prepared to use more secure passwords. Obviously not all organizations are government-based, there’s something to be said about proper password practices that all organizations can learn something from.

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Is It Really a Good Idea to Rely on Your Browser to Remember Your Passwords?

Is It Really a Good Idea to Rely on Your Browser to Remember Your Passwords?

It's fair to say that not everyone has an impeccable memory. The capability for multiple browsers to remember our passwords seem like a godsend. However, is this capability actually a good thing for your cybersecurity? 

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Would This Cyber Scam Fool You?

Would This Cyber Scam Fool You?

The average Internet scammer isn’t above utilizing dirty tricks to claim their ill-gotten prizes from their victims. A recent scam shows just how dirty these tricks can be. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates how ill-prepared many people are to handle them.

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Twitter Strongly Recommends Changing Your Password

Twitter Strongly Recommends Changing Your Password

Twitter is strongly recommending that all 336 million users change their passwords as soon as possible; this is a result of the discovery of an internal security flaw. While the problem has been fixed and no data breach seems to have occurred, Twitter is clearly taking this situation seriously.

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