Protective Measures

Passwords

Management

Now that you have a method for creating strong passphrases, you'll want to update your different passwords.  Because writing down and reusing passwords weakens them, you'll need a method for managing passwords.  This is where a password manager is extremely useful.  A password manager keeps all of your passwords locked behind encryption and you'll only need to remember one password to unlock the password manager.  Here is a list of great password management tools and services:

• Bitwarden (recommended)

• 1Password

• Dashlane

• KeePassXC

Creation

A strong password is the first step towards protection against common threats.  A strong password has to be difficult for a human and a computer to guess by using the following guidelines:

• Fifteen (15) or more characters

• Using characters from all four categories

  • Lowercase letters

  • Uppercase letters

  • Numbers

  • Special symbols (!, @, #, $, ^, &, *, -, =, _, +, ?)

• Password is not used for anything else

• Password does not contain personal information (birth year, hire date, children's name, etc)

• Password is not written down (a sticky note, the whiteboard, etc.)

• Password is not shared with anyone

J4=3D0&1984! may look like a complex password and closely follows the previously mentioned guidelines, but it still contains some possible personal information.  There are computers powerful enough to figure out simple passwords in less than 6 hours, only using rapid trial and error techniques.  There are methods for creating strong passwords that can be remembered, such as creating a passphrase.  

A passphrase uses multiple words to create a long, complex password, but also makes it easier to remember.  4CorrectHorse?BatteryStaple?4 is much more complex for a human and computer to try to guess, yet is easier to remember.  Here is a generator for creating passphrases in this style.  If you would prefer to not use a website, a book can be used to create a passphrase.  Open the book to a random page and pick four random words on that page.  The words should not form an actual sentence, but will be easier to remember than a random password.  Add in some special symbols and numbers and you have a strong passphrase!

2-Factor Authentication

2-Factor Authentication (2FAC) is a means to secure online accounts even more by requiring a second piece of information to log in.  If an account is locked with only a password, then it is using 1-Factor Authentication.  Google offers a simple method of 2FAC by pushing a prompt to the Gmail app installed on your phone when you try to log into your Google account.  This prompt turns your phone into the second piece of information required to log into your work Google account.  Therefore, if your password gets compromised, a criminal still wouldn't be able to access the account without also having the phone and passcode to the phone.

Update Software

Software is increasingly complex and those complexities can be exploited by criminals to install ransomware and other computer viruses.  Software developers are constantly finding those exploitations and fixing them with patches that get released in regular updates.  A protective measure that can be practiced is updating software when it becomes available.  The MJUSD Technology department pushes out updates for Windows, Office, Chrome, and other district provided software.  It is crucial to allow those updates to install when they are available.

Vigilant Faculty

Faculty vigilance is one of the last protective measure that can be practiced, by paying attention to who is sending emails, verifying whether the URLs for websites are authentic, keeping passwords complex and private, and updating software in a timely manner.  We can, as a team, prevent MJUSD from becoming a ransomware statistic!