You’ve probably heard the advice a hundred times: change your passwords every 90 days. Maybe your company enforces it. Maybe you’ve been doing it yourself for years.
Here’s the thing, that advice is outdated. Security experts (including NIST, the organization that basically sets the standards) stopped recommending frequent password changes a while ago. It turns out that forcing people to change passwords constantly leads to worse passwords, not better ones. People start using patterns, “Summer2025!” becomes “Fall2025!” becomes “Winter2026!”, and hackers know this.
What Actually Matters
Instead of changing your passwords every few months, focus on making them strong in the first place:
Make them long. Length beats complexity. A password like “correct-horse-battery-staple” is actually harder to crack than “P@ssw0rd!” even though the second one looks more “secure.” Aim for 16+ characters when you can.
Make them unique. This is the big one. If you use the same password for your email, your bank, and your Amazon account, one breach exposes all three. Every account should have its own password, no exceptions.
Use a password manager. Nobody can remember 50 unique passwords. That’s fine, you don’t have to. Tools like Bitwarden, 1Password, or even the one built into your browser will generate and store strong passwords for you. You just remember one master password, and the manager handles the rest.
Turn on multi-factor authentication. Even the best password can get stolen in a data breach. MFA (that text message code or authenticator app prompt when you log in) means a stolen password alone isn’t enough to get into your account. It’s the single most effective thing you can do for account security.
When You Should Actually Change a Password
Don’t change passwords on a schedule, change them when there’s a reason to:
- You hear about a breach at a service you use
- You accidentally shared a password or typed it into a suspicious site
- Someone who had access to a shared account leaves your company
- You notice suspicious activity on an account
Outside of those situations, a strong unique password with MFA enabled can sit there working perfectly for years.
Need Help Getting Your Team Set Up?
If your business is still doing the quarterly password reset dance, it might be time to rethink the approach. At HenkTek, we help Fort Myers businesses set up password managers, roll out MFA, and put together password policies that actually make sense. Give us a call, (239) 234-2334.