In the last five years, over 10 billion identities have been compromised through data breaches. It’s often the older generation that gets hit as their passwords are weakest. So, what can you do to help elderly parents with their passwords? This is a simple guide, to help everyone protect their passwords and make them stronger. And it’s something you can help your parents with.
How Can I Help My Elderly Parents With Passwords?
- Don’t share passwords, with partners or friends. Even if you think it’s genius and unbreakable. This also means don’t copy your partner’s password too!
- Do not write it down or save it to the device you are using. Actually, a written secure password kept safely at home is better than using something memorable and personal to you. Never use passwords that are based on something personal to you – ex. social security number!
- Password keepers are great, often they sit on a device with security based on encryption, password random generator (remember computers can not generate truly random passwords), and biometrics using the phone’s fingerprint and or face recognition. But many older relatives don’t have smartphones or even trust this technology.
- Don’t use a word even randomly chosen from a dictionary, in any language! Hackers have programs that can work this out.
- Use between 8 to 10 characters plus at least one number and one symbol. Use upper and lower case plus the number and symbol must not be paired. This is because hackers know that individuals always add these as an afterthought, so often they are paired or follow each other.
- Change the password every 18 months.
- Do not answer quizzes on social media asking personal questions about your favorite things. Ever!
- Try to ensure all passwords are different, therefore you may need between 5 to 20 different passwords.
These approaches certainly are not foolproof, not much is. But this is harder to hack, provides a memorable way of producing lots of new and strong passwords, and is certainly better than using something you remember because it is personal to you. Regardless just having a conversation with elderly parents or relatives about protecting online accounts will help awareness, and at least this approach can be fun, well if anything to do with passwords is fun!
Password Managers
One of the best ways to help seniors remember passwords is to get them a password manager that is easy to use. Password managers eliminate the need to remember multiple passwords, so they will only have to remember one master password.
Creating a Master Password That is Easy to Remember
When finally making the decision to get a password manager, it’s important that you take the time to create a master password that is both strong and also easy for your senior to remember. This is especially important since it acts as the key to enter their vault.
Here are a few tips for creating a strong master password that an elderly relative will be able to remember.
Use a passphrase
A passphrase is when you use a phrase to create your password. In this case, it’ll be used to create a memorable master password. Have your elderly relative think of a phrase that they’ll be able to remember. It can be a phrase such as “I enjoy the snow” and use the phrase they think of to create their master password.
The trick to creating a strong master password is making sure that the password contains a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. For example, using the phrase we came up with, we can swap out the letters with numbers to create something more obscure like “13nJ0ytH3$Now&.” This makes the passphrase much more difficult for a cybercriminal to guess.
Use an acronym
Acronyms are another great way to create a master password your elderly relative will remember. The phrase they use here should be a bit longer since we’ll only be taking the first letter of each word when creating the master password. The phrase we’ll be using as an example is “I enjoy the snow because I love to sled.” To create the master password, we’ll take the first letter of each word used in the phrase while incorporating numbers and symbols wherever possible. Using this example, the master password could look something like “13+$BiLts!”
Why You Shouldn’t Get a Password Book for Seniors
A password book is an option that many seniors lean on to remember their passwords, but this can do more harm than good. Simply put, a password book is a physical journal with alphabetized pages so that people can write down usernames, passwords, and website addresses. What many people don’t realize are the dangers that using a password book poses. Here are a few of the dangers of using a password book to store passwords.
Can be easily accessed by others
Using a password book is risky because it can get lost or stolen since you’ll have to take it with you wherever you go. In addition to the potential for it to get lost and your senior being forced to create new passwords for all of their accounts, it could also get into the wrong hands, which puts all their sensitive information and data at risk of being stolen. This can be especially dangerous if bank account logins are written in the password book, because not only is their sensitive data at risk, but so is their money.
You still have to create your own passwords, which are typically easy to guess
Creating new passwords that are both strong and unique for different accounts is a huge challenge, especially when doing it without the help of a password manager. Typically, when people create their own passwords, they’re more likely to reuse passwords or use variations of the same passwords which makes their passwords easily guessable.
When passwords are compromised, all Personally Identifiable Information and data are at risk. Elderly people should especially take extra cybersecurity precautions because they are more likely to be a cybercriminal’s target. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Report 2021 shows the age group targeted the most is senior citizens. There were a total of 92,371 victims aged 60+ in 2021, altogether suffering losses adding up to $1.68 billion.
Seven Steps to Help Set Up Cybersecurity for Seniors
1. Help them choose strong passwords
Remind seniors to lock their devices and accounts just like they would lock their front door. Just like different locks, some passwords are more effective than others. If devices are ever lost or stolen, strong passwords ensure they cannot be accessed.
You may also want to recommend a password manager, depending on how many passwords your senior family members must manage. Password managers simplify what they must remember; instead of a different password for everything, you only need one secure password to log on, and the manager can generate secure passwords for everything else. Password managers can’t be used for everything, but they will simplify any online logins. Password managers can be used across multiple devices and passwords can also be shared with others, so you could see your parents’ passwords in your account.
2. Teach them to secure their passwords
Additionally, teach seniors not to leave passwords written down lying around their computers. While many seniors want to write down their passwords to help their memory, it can also help an attacker log in. If they do insist on writing down passwords, at least encourage them not to write a sticky note attached to their desktop. They should write down passwords in a secure location that they can remember, and only you and they know about.
3. Teach them to avoid phishing
Seniors are especially prone to scam emails, phone calls, and social media accounts. Teach them not to click on links or download anything if there is any doubt about its legitimacy. Instead, encourage seniors to go directly to the webpage or account and contact customer support directly.
Another easy way to spot phishing is with typos or incorrect grammar. If Amazon is spelled “amzon.com” in the email it’s a good sign it’s a phishing attempt. Additionally, if an email has a sense of urgency, is asking for money, or is reporting a problem with a bank account or taxes, make sure seniors think twice before responding. The IRS will never email, text, or send a social media message to consumers, and they will never call to demand immediate payment.
If there’s one thing to remember about phishing, it’s that if they have any doubt about a message, they should delete it or reach out directly to the company.
4. Install a good antivirus program
Malware, or any program that could harm your computer, is one of the most common cybersecurity threats for seniors. Malware can often infect your device without you knowing, and they range in consequence from serious threats to minor annoyances. A good antivirus program can block any type of malware in real-time. Some anti-virus programs may also come with password managers, anti-phishing tools, VPNs, and more. Discuss with seniors which antivirus program is right for them.
5. Check websites for legitimacy
When shopping online or browsing social media, seniors may be especially vulnerable to fake sites or fake accounts. Before sharing any information or purchasing from a website, seniors should check for trust indicators. These can include:
- A lock in the address bar
- https protocol enabled
- Site seals like the Norton or DigiCert site seal
- A privacy statement
- Contact information for the business
If there is any doubt, don’t make a purchase from that site or enter your information. For instance, if deals are too good to be true, they probably aren’t real.
6. Set updates to install automatically
Software updates help protect against current vulnerabilities. Developers often send updates to protect against known weaknesses, so it’s wise to install them right away before an attacker can take advantage of them. You can set computers and devices to automatically install software updates, which is the easiest way to keep programs up to date. Furthermore, updates from popup ads or emails could actually be malware. So setting updates to install automatically will mean they don’t need to click on any update requests that could contain malware.
7. Remind them to log out
Simply logging out of accounts and devices can help protect seniors’ security. Remind them that they should never stay logged into an account on public computers, like those at the library. Even at home, they may want to log out each time. This is where having a password manager will make it easier for them to log in each time.
So, when your elderly relatives ask you for computer help, take the time to ensure they are following web security best practices as well. Even if the risks are relatively low, cyberattacks have severe consequences. Teaching seniors how to practice good security habits will save time and headaches down the line.
Promedcare
Being a family-owned business, the owners of Promedcare are engaged in the day-to-day operations and get to know both clients and caregivers on a first-name basis. Having both owners and staff present vs. working remotely with our clients creates a feel of FAMILY and allows Promedcare to create an environment of care that reduces turnover and increases dedication to the brand. We provide 24/7 service with the ability to interact with Senior Management and the owners as needed.
Promedcare has evolved into a caring business that focuses on individuals’ specific needs and preferences. This type of care fosters independence, happiness, and a sense of familiarity by acknowledging older individuals’ desire to age in the comfort of their own homes.
For some, it’s to provide extensive ongoing care for an aging senior. For others, we offer a much-needed break or, respite care – such as a night out with a spouse, vacation, or simply a few hours of quiet time at home – for family members who provide regular care. We offer a wide range of care services customized for each individual client.
Promedcare services include Personal Care Services, Companion Care Services, Dementia / Alzheimer’s Care Services, and Respiratory Solutions.
Contact us today to see how Prodmedcare can help you!