You may have heard that the world famous art gallery in Paris, the Louvre was a victim of mastermind criminals who stole €88 million (around $102 million USD) in precious gems. 

Of course this demonstrates that physical security is just as important as technical security. This is incredibly important if your 'assets' are physical items... And one of the most important physical security controls is CCTV and surveillance equipment.

But imagine having a system like that... and the password to log into (and turn off!) CCTV was so simple, that most people can guess it?!

Yes... The password for the core security system at the Louvre was.... "LOUVRE".  No special characters. No mix of Alphanumeric characters.  No thought.

Passwords are painful
But they are the easiest things you can improve without spending a fortune on security.  Here are some tips (I hope the Louvre are taking notes...)

Use Pass-phrases, not passwords... "ILoveParisInSummer" would be easy to remember and is far harder to guess than a single word.  Pick a song or film title you like, add the year it was released and bingo! You have a brilliant pass-phrase.

Enable 2FA - This is where you enter a password/PIN code and then you're asked for something else, like biometric data, or a code sent to a different device.


Use Password Managers - Your mobile device has a 'key chain' that stores all the passwords you create, in a secure encrypted manner.  You can subscribe to online vaults that hold your passwords securely and all you need to do is remember one very long and secure pass-phrase (see the advice above).

Conclusion
You don't have to spend a fortune to improve security... get the basics right first and then move on to the next step.  For more advice on this topic please get in touch and I'll send you my free guide, 'Introduction to Cybersecurity for small businesses'.