Don't Change Your Password Too Often, Do This Instead

JAKARTA - The habit of changing passwords is not effective for now. In fact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends not changing passwords, unless there is a hack.

In the past, we were taught to change our passwords every few months to minimize security risks. However, this old rule actually makes passwords weaker and easier to guess because users tend to change only one word or letter.

Compared to focusing on the frequency of replacement, NIST explains that the length of the password is much more important than the complexity of the characters. Long passwords, but easy to remember, are more difficult to penetrate by hacker machines than short passwords full of symbols.

The best advice for internet users at the moment is to use a password manager. With this tool, you only need to remember one master phrase to access hundreds of accounts with much higher security.

The latest report, as reported by PC Mag, shows that complex password sequences such as capital letters and symbols are required to lower the level of ease for users. This often makes users feel frustrated and eventually make repeated typing errors.

Security agencies are now advising online services to enable the 'show password' feature to reduce input errors. In addition, limiting login attempts and implementing multi-factor authentication are considered much more effective than forcing users to change passwords.

Although many banks or companies still require password replacement periodically, this policy is considered a form of unfounded panic. As long as the password used is long, strong, and unique, users can maintain their passwords for a long time.