Dropbox is beginning to notify its users to update their passwords (if they haven’t updated them since 2012) to something a little bit more secure.
The company claims that this is just a preventative measure and stresses that there are no accounts that have been improperly accessed.
This movement is due to the discovery of a cache of user credentials that date back to 2012 that contain email addresses, plus hashed and salted passwords.
The company doesn’t believe that any accounts have been breached, but is choosing to make older accounts update passwords in order to cover its bases. So if you are one of those with an older account, you shall need to update to a more robust password the next time you sign in.
Whilst changing to a more secure password, Dropbox also encourages you to enable two-step verification in order to add an extra layer of security to your account.
When changing your password
When trying to think up a password or two, it is important to remember the following:
– It’s at least 8 characters long,
– It has a few num8er5 in it,
– It has a special ch@racter or two
– It may not lead with a Capital but has one or two dotted tHrouGhoUt.
Most of all, make it memorable to you. There is nothing worse than having to reset your password all the time because you can never remember it.
If you would like a few other tips about how best to set a new password, and the best practices regarding password security, you can read our previous article here.
