Fortify Your Digital Fortress: The Power of Strong Passwords

May 21, 2024

In the vast expanse of the digital world, our passwords are the gatekeepers standing between our sensitive information and the prying eyes of cybercriminals. Yet, as we navigate through the virtual landscape, it's alarmingly easy to overlook the importance of fortifying our passwords on a regular basis.

The Vulnerability of Weak Passwords

Weak passwords, akin to flimsy locks on a treasure chest, invite trouble with open arms. Here's a stark reality: a mere 7-character password can be cracked in a mind-bogglingly short span of 2 seconds. Add a few symbols, and you extend that to a meager 4 seconds. In the blink of an eye, your fortress is breached, leaving your personal data exposed to malicious intent.

Reusing passwords across multiple accounts is akin to employing the same key for every door in your house. Once a cybercriminal unlocks one door, they have access to the entire residence of your digital identity. It's a convenience we cannot afford.

The Armor of Strong Passwords

Imagine your password as a robust fortress, impervious to the relentless onslaught of cyber threats. Strengthening your digital defenses begins with the adoption of strong passwords. Here's where the numbers tell a compelling tale: a 12-character password transforms the game entirely, turning the tables on potential hackers. With such a fortress in place, it would take a staggering 53 years to crack the code.

Recommendations for Reinforcement

1. Passphrases: Gone are the days of cryptic combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols. Embrace the simplicity and strength of passphrases – strings of words that are easy to remember but hard to crack

Some example passphrases to get you thinking:

MayTheForceBeWithYou - is a passphrase, but also a movie quote, not ideal

MayThe4thBw1thY0u - is stronger but this is complicated and difficult to remember

Isn't Baby Yoda the cutest green alien in the galaxy? - this passphrase is lengthy yet robust and much easier to remember. Incorporating random words also enhances security

2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Elevate your security measures with the addition of MFA. By requiring multiple forms of verification, such as a password combined with a fingerprint or a one-time code, you create an additional layer of defense against unauthorised access.

3. Password Managers: Bid farewell to the chaos of remembering numerous passwords for various accounts. Harness the power of password managers to securely store and generate complex passwords, granting you peace of mind without sacrificing convenience.

Is My Data Safe? - Lessons to Learn from the CrowdStrike Outage

By Seth Khouri • August 16, 2024

A Major IT Outage: What Happened? On July 19, 2024, a significant IT outage disrupted services worldwide. Banks, healthcare facilities, emergency services, and payment systems faced interruptions, causing widespread business closures and even flight cancellations. This global incident left many travelers stranded and businesses scrambling to restore operations. What is CrowdStrike? CrowdStrike is a leading American cybersecurity company specialising in software to monitor and detect cyber threats. Their flagship product, Falcon EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response), acts like a powerful antivirus tool. It detects and mitigates security threats, alerting of potential hackers. During a recent update, it caused many computers to crash, resulting in the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) on Windows systems. Given that Microsoft systems constitute about 70% of desktop operating systems worldwide, the effects of this outage were extensive, impacting millions globally. * Is My Computer Safe? The good news is that CrowdStrike's products are primarily used by organisations, not individual home users. If you are using regular antivirus and anti-malware programs, you would not have been affected by this outage. However, it raises an important question: what can I do to prepare for future outages?

Saint Ignatius College, Geelong embraces the flame and follows the footsteps of Mary MacKillop with the opening of a new senior learning centre

By Seth Khouri • August 9, 2024

On the third floor of the MacKillop Senior Centre at Saint Ignatius College Drysdale, on the Bellarine Peninsula, a small group of students take up positions in a comfortable alcove outside the main classrooms. Some pull tables together and spread-out folders and books, others face each other in pairs in animated discussion, while others work in contented independence on their laptops. The centre, completed in March 2024, and its many well-designed informal and formal learning spaces, is part of a broader vision that helps achieve the college’s mission to provide the best quality co-educational Catholic education in the Geelong region. “It’s a beacon of opportunity and collaboration”, says College Principal Michael Exton.

Celebrating Unity and Culture: 2024 CDF Wardandi Gift

By Michelle Ross-FitzGerald • July 9, 2024

At the heart of the vibrant South West region of Western Australia, a special event unfolded on May 9, 2024, that showcased the beauty of unity, culture, and community spirit. St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Bunbury emerged victorious in the CDF Wardandi Gift, held on the grounds of Bunbury Catholic College . Created in 2023 to celebrate Bunbury Catholic College’s 50th anniversary, this year’s event was a wonderful culmination of hard work by college event coordinator Michael Chappel and Indigenous Student Coordinator Tobie Watson. The CDF Wardandi Gift was more than just a relay race. It was a celebration that brought together approximately 200 students from five primary schools: St Mary’s and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary Schools in Bunbury , Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Dardanup , St Mary’s Primary School in Donnybrook , and Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School in Bunbury . These schools gathered on Albert Oval for a day filled with activities that honored Aboriginal culture. The event was not just a celebration of culture, but also a reflection of Catholic values. It emphasised the importance of community, respect, and inclusivity, core tenets of our faith. As Pope Francis often reminds us , "The Church is a community of those who have encountered Jesus Christ and have made a commitment to follow him." The CDF Wardandi Gift embodied this spirit of community and commitment. It was a day where many came together to honor the rich cultural heritage of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, recognising the divine presence in every culture and tradition.

CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.