Adobe, the National Cyber Security Alliance, and Speechless have joined forces to bring you a series of security awareness videos. Starting in November 2019, the plan is to release one video every other month. A total of eight videos will be released.

The first video in the series focuses on passwords. The key points mentioned can dramatically reduce the risk of compromise when implemented company-wide. The main takeaways are given at the end of the video, but there are also some more subtle points:

1. Use a password manager. There are many of them and some are free. A password manager can help automate the remediation of the threats mentioned below.

2. Do not write or print passwords on paper or in unsecured digital files. For example, a sticky note with the password on the back of a laptop or a list of passwords in an unprotected Excel spreadsheet.

3. Use long, random but memorable passwords – also called passphrases. For example, “Cherry Wire Sparking!”

4. Don't use the same password everywhere. Try to use a unique password every time you log in. If a website or company is hacked and the passwords become public, all accounts with the same password are at risk.

5. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. If a password is known, the second (or third) "factor" of authentication provides an additional layer of protection. A good resource for checking if MFA is available for different services is https://twofactorauth.org/.

6. Finally, destroy your sensitive data properly.

Please take the opportunity to connect with your friends and family and share this video with them if you find it useful.