Hi, I'm Michelle, a management and program analyst with the
FBI, and I'd like to share with you some things you can do to
prevent attackers from accessing your campaign's networks.
We all use passwords.
We use them for our phones, our login to our computers,
our email, or other personal online accounts.
Unfortunately, many of us use simple passwords, such as
"Password1" or "1234," because they're easier to remember.
Some of us even reuse the same simple password
for multiple accounts.
If you use a simple password or pattern of characters, such as
"a1b2C#" it's considerably easier for an adversary to
crack, which means you've allowed an attacker to access
all your accounts linked to that simple password.
It's common to require that passwords include uppercase
letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
However, recent guidance from the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, or NIST, advises that password
length is much more beneficial than complexity.
Short, complex passwords are hard for people to remember,
but easy for a computer program to crack.
Industry experts, to include NIST, recommend using a longer
passphrase-which is when you combine multiple words into one
long string of at least 15 characters
instead of a short, simple or complex password.
The extra length of a passphrase makes it harder to crack, while
also making it easier for people to remember.
For example, a phrase such as "VoicesProtected2020WeAre" is a
strong passphrase.
For a more secure passphrase, combine multiple unrelated words
to create a phrase, for example "director month learn truck."
Some people use "password keeper" programs.
These programs store all of your passwords in one place,
which is sometimes called a vault.
Some programs can even make strong passwords for you and
keep track of them all in one location, so then the only
password or passphrase you have to remember
is the one for your vault.
The downside of using a password keeper program is if an attacker
cracks your vault password, then he or she knows all of your
passwords for all of your accounts.
But many IT professionals agree, the benefit of a password keeper
program far outweighs this risk.
A little research should help you find
a reputable password keeper program.
NIST's password guidance includes these tips:
Require everyone to use longer passwords or passphrases
(of 15 or more characters) without requiring uppercase,
lowercase, or special characters.
• Only require password changes when there's a reason to believe
your network has been compromised.
• Have your network administrators screen everyone's
passwords against lists of dictionary passwords and known
compromised passwords to prevent users from creating weak
passwords or reusing known compromised passwords.
• To help prevent a denial of service attack against your
email service, don't lock a user's account after a certain
number of incorrect login attempts.
That way, even if an adversary floods your network with
purposefully incorrect login information, your users won't be
locked out of their accounts.
• Don't allow password "hints."
• Require the use of multi-factor authentication.
Enabling multi-factor authentication is extremely
easy, and provides enormous security.
There are three kinds of credentials: something you know
(like a password or a PIN); something you have (like a token
or fob); and something you are (like your fingerprint).
Multi-factor authentication requires you to use more than
one type of credential to access your account.
This means entering your password isn't enough-you also
will need to enter at least one of
the other mentioned credentials.
For example, in addition to your password, you might use your
fingerprint or a code transmitted to
a security token or a fob.
Answering a security question on a website is not multi-factor
authentication protection.
SMS-based authentication (or text message authentication) is
when you receive a one-time password or code to your phone
as an extra layer of account security.
However, using text message authentication is much less
secure than using a token, a fob, or your fingerprint.
Multi-factor authentication is not perfect.
An attacker could still use social engineering techniques to
trick you into providing your credentials
to break into your account.
But if your campaign requires strong passwords and
multi-factor authentication, you've greatly reduced the risk
of attackers breaking into your computer network.
Additionally, use network tools to track account login activity.
This will help you see who's accessing your network
and if they should be.
Remember, your voice matters, so protect it.