New Threats Require Strong Passwords

We recently sent an update to all our clients regarding the ‘Ransom virus’ attacks. This is a follow up email regarding passwords.

With the success of this new attack, it is a good time to insist that all of the users in your company change their password.

Some of our clients’ networks are set up to require
rotating passwords every 90 days
. As long as the users don’t share passwords, this is a good baseline for password security.
For those of you who don’t require password changes for security,
we strongly recommend changing user passwords as soon as possible for all users (even the owners!).

Also, every Network has an Administrator password. This password allows the Administrator to make all security changes including changes to user passwords, service account passwords, and so on. Since this password is usually well-guarded, it is not changed very often.

If Syscon maintains this for you
, please send an email to
CustomerSupport@www.syscon-inc.com
giving us permission to generate a new Administrator password. When we’re done, we will contact you with the new password (not via email).
If you maintain your Administrator password
, please change it as soon as possible. Store the new password in a secure location such as a locked safe, safety deposit box, encrypted document, or a similar safe place off-site. Please be prepared to have this new password available during maintenance visits in case the technician requires it for a specific function or update.

What is a strong password
? – a minimum of eight (8) characters with a combination of upper case alpha characters, lower case alpha characters, at least one number, and at least one special character (e.g. !, #, %, ^, *, etc.). Ideally all users should have a strong password, as well as the Administrator. Password protection is only as good as the weakest link; it’s like having only one door unlocked!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office. Your Network Security is a high-priority for us. We want you to have ‘Syscon*fidence’ that your network is protected, and that’s a partnership between the two of us – thank you for your time.

Catherine Wendt

posted by
Catherine Wendt