Property Management System Security | Tips For You | iBex by Seekom
Security | Property Management System Online Security
Property Management System Security is essential to an operator in the modern world. Making sure you and your staff are operating safely and using best practices can save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. In this article we talk about the importance of strong, secure passwords, two factor authentication, email security, separation of work and personal accounts and some best practices.
1. Why a strong password is important online
Password strength is one of the most important aspects when it comes to security for your property management system access. Having a hard to guess password, that has uppercase and lowercase characters and symbols is always a good start. If you're having trouble thinking of a strong password, try out a free online generator such as https://passwordsgenerator.net/.
Below are a list of the most commonly used (and subsequently hacked) passwords.
Disclaimer: Don't use any of the below passwords for any login credentials.
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- Admin
- 87654321
- 1q2w3e4r
- picture1
- 111111
- 123123
The reason for a strong password for your Property Management System login is important because the system holds a lot of personal information, such as phone numbers, addresses, names and more. If your login is breached a user could take this information and use it maliciously.
The longer the password you use, the better. The reason for this is that a malicious person may use a "brute force" style attack to gain access to your systems. This involves either manually or automating the process of typing in characters over and over untill they get your password. The more numbers and letters you have, the longer it takes someone to guess the password.
You can actually enter a password at https://howsecureismypassword.net/ and it will tell you how long it would take someone to guess it using this type of attack / software.
Helpful tips to help you create a stronger password
Tip: Try replacing letters in your password with numbers and symbols instead (e.g from seekomisthebest to $33k0m1sth3b3$t)
2. Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
You may have seen 2FA written somewhere, or heard the phrase "two factor authentication" before but not fully sure what exactly it is.
Two factor authentication is the process of adding another source (such as your mobile phone) to authenticate that the person logging into a system is actually you. 2FA is important because it adds another layer of security to your passwords. Even if your password was able to be guessed, the attacker doesn't have your mobile phone so they aren't able to get into the system. You also get a notification that someone attempted a login, so you know to change or update your password.
It’s an additional physical authentication (usually an SMS, call, or code generator sent to your mobile phone).
This makes it nearly impossible for someone to hack into your accounts.
iBex - our Property Management System, has 2FA enabled for our vault (credit card storage) so that attackers are unable to gain access to sensitive and finanical information.
3. Email Vulnerability & Good Email Habits
There's lots of things that can catch people out when accessing emails, and clicking on links. The number one rule that we would suggest when going to click on a link in an email, would be to hover over the link with your mouse and see down the bottom left of the browser where that link is taking you (see below screenshot for an example)
Other Email Tips;
- Make sure the site you are signing up to is secure (https:// not http:// )
- Make sure it is a current platform that is updated frequently (old, outdated platforms are bigger security risks)
- If seeking assistance, be weary of personnel remoting into your computer through applications like Teamviewer. Make sure it is a trusted source.
- Password Resets can be risky if your email is not secure.
- 2 Factor on your email address is very important, especially for businesses.
What you shouldn't do;
- Generally speaking, anyone trying to "give you money" online is 99% of a scam (unless you know them of course)
- Emails from unknown sources (you haven't heard from them, don't know them) may contain links. Don't click these links without identifying who the emailer is. If you're not sure - consider asking a friend or family member if they're technically minded, or even email the person back to get more information who they are.
- Check out this information about scams from the government to better learn about this type of attack.
4. Staff logins to your Property Management System
Below are some quick tips for better security when using our Property Management System, or a PMS in general.
- All staff accessing iBex and iBex Vault should be set up with separate logins.
- Separate logins means you can restrict staff to permissions or properties based upon their training and authorisation.
- You can easily disable their access when they terminate employment with you.
- No staff should be sharing usernames and passwords for login.
- Separate logins makes it easier to track changes each staff member is making.
- If one staff user is compromised, it won’t affect your other staff users.
- You can have unlimited staff users for no added cost!
5. General Security Information
If you're concerned you don't know enough of the above and want to learn more about being safe online - contact the government branch NetSafe who can assist you with more information.
If you'd like more information or assistance to be safer when using iBex, please contact us.
One of our amazing business development managers will be in touch to showcase our product to you and talk you through how we can help grow your business.
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