Get This: Sony Hack Reveals Company Stored Passwords in Folder Labeled 'Password' The security breach brings to light some of the worst password-protecting practices.

By Nina Zipkin

360b / Shutterstock.com

The Sony hack revealed a lot of things. Celebrity social-security numbers. Employee salaries. Even how the studio's employees really feel about Adam Sandler's body of work.

But there's at least one more gem that was unearthed: Sony kept thousands of company and personal passwords in a file called "Password." Yes, seriously.

The folder stored more than 100 files with passwords -- labeled with titles like "website passwords" and "Server Privileged Access" -- to personal computers, servers, e-mail accounts, social media accounts for various films, media subscriptions and even passwords for credit card and insurance companies.

Related: Swallow This 'Password' Pill to Unlock Your Digital Devices

In other words, this is exactly what not to do when it comes to cyber security.

So what can companies do to bolster their password security? Don't use the same password for all your platforms, change them frequently and look into a password manager that hasn't been the victim of a breach.

And instead of 123456 (please don't do this), create a password that's a mnemonic of a memorable phrase or that is at least eight characters with a combination of symbols, letters and numbers.

Related: How to Create a Super Strong Password (Infographic)

Wavy Line
Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Business News

Apple Just Unveiled Its VR Headset. What You Need to Know.

The Vision Pro is Apple's first major product launch since AirPods.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Marketing

5 Things You Can Do Now to Improve Email Marketing

Abide by these simple tricks to help your campaigns gain more visibility and generate revenue in the process.

Science & Technology

'We Were Sucked In': How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Phone Scams.

Phone fraudsters are using AI to clone the voices of loved or trusted people to rip them off. Here's how to detect if the phone is real or robot.