Enforce Password History Policies for Windows and Android Devices

Enforce password history policy decides how many new passwords the user needs to create before setting previously used passwords. From real-world examples, it is evident that reusing passwords is a risky step that facilitates cyber criminals to attack the system and breach privacy by brute-forcing attempts.

Brute forcing is a hacking technique that helps attackers access other's business accounts and exploit vulnerabilities by trying all possible combinations. This technique is very effective on devices with weak or reused passwords.

Let's discuss practical ways to enforce password history on Android and Windows devices and other security parameters to enhance security.

1 Demo - Enforce Password History Setting

Numerous tools exist to help users manage password reuse policy, but not all of them are effective for corporate use. Businesses are more targeted by attackers, and weaknesses are prevalent due to the involvement of multiple smart devices and versatile usage. So, we will discuss only the best method to enforce password history settings for different organizational levels.

For Android

AirDroid Business is an Android device management solution that allows monitoring and control of large-scale managed devices from a centralized location, ensuring high security and confidentiality. It offers customizable policy settings, including a password policy, to ensure authorized access only.

For Windows

2 Microsoft Recommend to Setup 24 Passwords Remembered

Microsoft strongly recommends remembering the last 24 passwords to fight against brute force attacks and increase password diversity. Passwords remembered technique is also helpful to comply with the latest password security standards and shows dedication to implementing strong security procedures.

By enforcing many passwords, users are encouraged to set complex and more diverse passwords, which helps eliminate the vulnerabilities caused by password reuse.

It acts as a barrier against cyber-attacks like brute force and strengthens security. It also discourages users from setting easy and memorable passwords and adopts strong and unique passwords every time, so they cannot detect them.

3 More Password Related Security Measures

If you think that enforcing password history is enough to prevent cyber-attacks, you are wrong. In addition to enforcing password history, there are multiple ways to secure devices.

Password Complexity Requirements

For fully secure access management, password complexity requirements are crucial to manage.

You might have encountered restrictions on setting passwords, including lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, symbols, etc. Such restrictions create password complexities and help generate strong passwords.

Rules for Creating Passwords

Businesses need to set strict rules for employees to create strong passwords that are unpredictable and hard to guess. Strong and general passwords like a person’s mobile number or nickname are considered weak passwords and are easy to guess.

Setting strong password policies is crucial for businesses to prevent unauthorized access to official devices, as the devices contain highly sensitive data.

Password Valid Period

Setting password policies through valuable tools like MDM allows for setting a maximum and minimum age. A standard password maximum age is recommended to be 60 to 90 days; after that, a new password is required.

This helps to keep the security keys confidential and timely updated to make them complex. Businesses also need to set a minimum age for passwords because frequently changing passwords also causes security issues.

Force Password Configuration

To add an additional layer of security, admins can enforce force password configuration, which restricts users to unlocking their devices only using the configured passwords.

Turn on/off Smart Lock

The smart lock feature is built into Android devices, especially Samsung smart gadgets. It allows the configuration of trust agents, such as on-body detection and trusted devices. To enhance security measures, you can remotely enable/disable Smart Lock on managed devices by using an MDM solution.

1 Conclusive Note

Managing password policies is a serious concern for individuals and organizations because it enables users to implement strong password authentication rules to ensure high security and prevent unauthorized access.

Enforcing password history is a perfect solution to avoid brute-force attacks by cyber-criminals. If an account is unfortunately compromised, then changing the password is crucial. Furthermore, changing the password for business accounts is not enough. It is better if admins delete the compromised user account and provide a new one. Set the maximum password age to be between 60 and 90 days, and also configure the minimum password age so admins can restrict users from frequent password changes.