Password Managers – You should be using one

This week’s topic is Password Managers – You should be using one

The Tip

The majority of us use not-so-strong passwords, and reuse them on different sites. After all, how are you supposed to use and remember strong and unique passwords on all the websites that you use? The answer is a password manager.

The Detail

Using a password manager is one of the top safety practices recommended by security experts. Password managers are easy to use. They store your login information for all the websites that you use, and will help you login automatically. They encrypt your password database with a master password, and that is the only one you will need to remember. They will also generate strong passwords for you, for new accounts and for updating old, weak passwords, and can be used with 2-factor authentication.

Password databases can be shared across multiple devices, and are always in sync, so you have the right information with you on your phone, or tablet, or home or work desktop computers.

Password managers solve the problem of having to remember multiple and complex passwords, removing the temptation to reuse passwords on multiple sites. They are easy to use. You do not need to sit down and spend hours getting one setup. You just start to use it, and as you visit sites and login, they will capture your info for future use. They can also be used for storing pins and credit card info, should you wish, as well as secure notes. The more sophisticated managers out there will also let you share some password details with a spouse’s account, or other team setting.

Password managers come in several free and commercial versions, from several reputable vendors. Spend a few minutes and read a few reviews to find the product that is right for you. Most have free versions available with commercial licensed upgrades available for more features.

Some of the popular ones include LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password, KeePass, but that is by no means an extensive list. There is a good side-by-side review here, with further information on why password managers are so important.

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp