‘Passwords must be changed frequently in a given time frame’ – Cloud Box Executive on World Password Day

On the occasion of World Password Day, Avinash Gujje, Practice Head – Infrastructure, Cloud Box Technologies, had a one-on-one conversation with TECHx Editor Rabab Zehra. Avinash discussed password-free innovations, threats associated with an organization’s IT security, and how password security can be preserved.

TECHx: Do you think traditional passwords would become extinct in the face of new password-free advances?  

Avinash: Traditional passwords would never become extinct, but the mode of password usage would definitely change, or it has been already changed in recent years. Today in any IT environment the end-user password has rapidly changed into face recognition, touch-based or mutli factor authentication, however, the core systems still depend on traditional password policy due to the system dependencies.   

TECHx: With billions of stolen passwords on the Dark Web, we need to be mindful of the risks. How can you figure out what’s behind these dangers? What mistakes do organizations make when it comes to IT security?

Avinash: Today data is everything and it is a mandate to have a strict password policy in place to secure this data. In fact, with a weak password policy, we have seen many recent attacks.  

Since a complex password policy is very difficult to remember, IT teams ten to loosen up the password policy which allows for a weak password. This is a door opener for major attacks and hackers can easily gain access to these passwords. It is best is to use multifactor authentication models to overcome these hurdles.

TECHx: World Password Day is the ideal time to revamp your passwords. What advice do you have for businesses and individuals who want to keep their passwords secure?

Avinash: The best advice is to have a strict password policy in place which is likely to ensure a more secured password.  Additionally, passwords must be changed frequently in a given time frame. As well as users must have technologies like PAM or Multifactor Authentication or Password Generator to be more secure.