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Think Safety and Protect Your Passwords

REALTOR Safety Month is right around the corner! An important part of protecting data belonging to you and your clients means keeping your passwords safe. So what are you doing to help curb the billions of dollars lost every year due to cyber crimes?

August 23, 2024

At NorthstarMLS, we have a Single Sign On (SSO) authentication that protects your MLS account. This makes it very important to never share your passwords to MLS or any other platform that requires a password. Here are some great ways you can do this.

Don’t share them! Your SSO password provides access intended for you alone.

Create strong passwords or phrases. Make them strong, long, and difficult for someone else to guess. Use more than 10 characters with letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and symbols, and including no obvious personal information or common words.

Use multi-factor authentication. The most common multi-factor authentication is a passcode to your text or email.

Use a password manager. There are numerous options available including ones that are free or for a small monthly free.

Set up additional security questions. Make sure the answers are ones only you would know.

Change your password frequently. When updating, do no reuse old passwords and use a new password for each account.

Be sure your email account is protected with a strong password. Password resets are sent to your email and hackers can easily obtain that information when the email account is not secure.

Always cover your computer when you log in if you are in public. You never know who is watching in person on using the public Wi-Fi to compromise your data.

Be aware of any vendor that asks for your username and password. NorthstarMLS would never call or email asking you for this information and you should be wary of such requests from other vendors as well. Always tell the person requesting this information that you will contact the vendor directly to verify before providing such information.

Worried that Your NorthstarMLS Password has been Compromised?

If you think your NorthstarMLS password has been compromised, you can go to the NorthstarMLS Dashboard and click on your name in the upper right and then click on change password. For Matrix users, the link can be found under External Links on the Matrix Dashboard. When signing into any system, where you need to enter your credentials, there is a “Forgot Password” button at the bottom of the two fields for the credentials. For a great blog on all your options for changing your password and keeping it secure, read this Ask David.

Remember, it’s not just your information you are protecting, it’s your client’s information too.

Have questions or need help with your NorthstarMLS password? Please contact our Help Desk M-F, 8:00 to 5:00 at help@northstarmls.com or 651-251-5456 (1-877-251-5455 toll free).

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