Experts: Change passwords often, use multi-factor authentication

KUCHING (Aug 26): Storing passwords in easily accessible places, such as under a keyboard, is a common security lapse that can have serious consequences.

Yap Chee Yuen, founder and technical director of Infosyte, an information and communication technology (ICT), cloud training, and certification specialist, warned that such practices could lead to disciplinary actions from human resources (HR) departments.

“If you flip the keyboard and see the password, that’s a significant risk,” he cautioned.

He emphasised the importance of employee awareness in maintaining cybersecurity, acknowledging that while complex passwords can be difficult to remember, they are essential for security.

“If one of the chains is weak, the whole system can break,” he said, urging businesses to educate all employees on the importance of following security guidelines.

Yap said this in response to a question from host Pattrik Ting during the recent Tek Talk programme entitled ‘Getting Ready for E-invoice: Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategies for Businesses’.

Ting, the general manager of sales at K Media Marketing, had inquired about the types of auditing systems companies should implement regularly to secure their e-invoicing systems and the key aspects businesses should focus on to ensure their cybersecurity measures are effective and up to date.

Yap pointed out that password management is a critical aspect of cybersecurity.

He stressed the importance of regularly changing passwords and avoiding the use of the same password across multiple platforms.

“Do not use the same password across every website you visit,” he advised, adding that companies should encourage employees to adopt multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an extra layer of security.

Infra365 vice president Kevin Lim and VYPA Malaysia managing director Vijjayandran Manickavasagar also participated in the programme.