Password Security Standards – Best Practices to Protect your Devices

With every device that’s connected to the Internet comes great risk of it getting exposed to various threats. Routers, modems, and remote management platforms sit at the centre of modern connectivity, yet they remain prime targets for credential attacks, brute-force attempts, and unauthorized access.

Users must adapt the main ways to stay protected – having a secure password that would follow password security standards and implement secure authentication methods. So, how can users apply these practices in action?

Why Password Security Standards Matter in the IoT Era

As of 2025, there are over 19.8 billion IoT devices worldwide. At the same time, the number of IoT malware infections rose 27% YoY from 2024 to 2025, driven by DDoS botnets and ransomware. Different IoT deployments work as gates to the whole network, so when security fails to meet the modern strength requirements, attackers can infiltrate devices, disrupt services, or move deeper into the network. Nobody wants to go through this, right?

Government and standard-setting organizations agree, so they are introducing stricter requirements for IoT security, which include password practices as one of the pain points. Frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, and the EU Cybersecurity Act increasingly mandate strong authentication, the elimination of default passwords, and clear password policy enforcement.

As compliance expectations rise, manufacturers and businesses must align their IoT solutions with modern password standards to avoid security risks and meet regulatory obligations.

Common Password Issues in IoT Deployments and How to Fix Them

Many of the password issues in general start off not from large scale advanced cyberattacks, but from small and avoidable password mistakes. All systems require a key that would fit strong password requirements, and addressing the most common mistakes will help you get your security in check.

Reusing credentials and railing to rotate passwords

We know it’s way easier to have the same password for all the devices or make them different by only one character, but this highly increases your exposure to attacks. Automated tools, not people, attempt these logins, running millions of password combinations per second. Once a single shared password is compromised, attackers can quickly access every device that uses it if they are all using the same credentials.

Regular password rotation is equally important. Credentials can be leaked through data breaches or mishandling, and outdated passwords become easier targets over time. You can check whether your credentials have appeared in known breaches using services like haveibeenpwned.com, which compares your password against a database of exposed data. By rotating passwords consistently and avoiding reuse, you close one of the most common entry points for IoT attacks.

Weak passwords and poor passphrase practices

Weak passwords – such as those using only lowercase letters, predictable number patterns, or common phrases – are the easiest for brute-force programs to crack. Since automated attack tools can test millions of combinations instantly, any simple or short password becomes an easy solve.

Creating strong passphrases is a far more effective approach. Longer combinations of words, numbers, and symbols significantly increase password difficulty and make devices harder to breach. Security teams should regularly review common weak-password lists and ensure none are used across their IoT fleet.

Additionally, restricting remote access to trusted networks, using VPNs, and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible significantly strengthens protection for login interfaces such as WebUI or SSH.

One of the main ways to have the passwords secure and manage them all at once is with Teltonika’s Remote Management System.

Enhancing Password Security with Remote Management System

Remote Management System (RMS) is one of the easiest integrations for password security strength across large IoT deployments by centralizing and automating credential control.

When organizations oversee hundreds or thousands of routers and modems, manual updates leave room for errors, reused passwords, and inconsistent security practices. RMS helps enforce strong password policies, ensures unique credentials for every device, and provides full visibility into access activity through centralised logs.

RMS also reduces the risk of breaches by enabling real-time alerts for suspicious login attempts and supporting password rotation that automatically updates credentials to prevent long-term exposure. By keeping all devices aligned with organizational security standards, RMS turns password management into a unified, reliable process, making IoT networks far more resilient against unauthorized access.

Strengthening IoT Security Through a Layered Protection Strategy

Password strength is a critical foundation for IoT security, but it cannot stand alone. Attackers target multiple points in the network, which means organizations must combine strong authentication with additional layers of security to keep their routers, modems, and connected systems safe.

A layered strategy integrates strong passwords with VPN encryption to secure communication channels, firewalls and port restrictions to limit device exposure, and two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent unauthorized access even if a password is compromised.

VPNs ensure sensitive commands and credentials stay encrypted end-to-end, while strict firewall rules, closed or restricted ports, and whitelisted IPs reduce the attack surface by allowing only approved traffic.

Adding 2FA on top of these measures provides an essential final barrier, requiring a second verification step that blocks credential-based attacks across distributed IoT deployments. Together, these layers create a resilient IoT security framework that significantly lowers the risk of breaches and strengthens long-term network protection.

Start rethinking your password security standards

With billions of IoT devices online, strong password security has become essential – especially for routers, which act as the first line of defence for every connected system behind them. When your router is protected with strong, unique credentials, the rest of your IoT ecosystem becomes far safer, from simple sensors to critical infrastructure. Most breaches still happen because passwords are weak, reused, or never updated, which is why modern standards, strong passphrases, and regular password rotation are so important.

Remote Management System (RMS) strengthens this further by centralizing password control, automating updates, and monitoring login activity. Combined with layers like VPN encryption, firewall rules, port restrictions, and 2FA, these practices create a resilient security framework that keeps IoT networks protected.