There are a lot of misconceptions about password managers. While many people think they’re only for tech-savvy individuals, this is not the case. In reality, password managers can be an incredibly valuable tool for anyone who has multiple online accounts and wants to keep their passwords safe from hackers. If you want to learn more about how strong passwords work and which providers are best for your needs, read on!
“All you need is a strong, unique password that only you know.” This can be hard to remember with all the sites we have accounts for these days and it’s easy to forget when one of your passwords gets hacked or stolen. – With a password manager, all of your sensitive data are stored in an encrypted database which means that hackers won’t find anything as long as they don’t get access to the decrypting key (aka username and password). Not having this information also makes it harder for them to brute force their way into getting what they want because there is no known place where they will start looking.
The best providers offer robust security features like two-factor authentication so if someone else tries accessing your account from an IP or computer that looks out of place. This could be an IP address in another country or a computer with an ID that the Password Managers does not recognize.
Some providers also offer up a system for generating strong passwords and automatically storing them using an extension for Chrome or Firefox. This makes it handy if you’re creating a lot of new accounts or easily forget to put them in the password managers database.
There are many password managers available but Lastpass and 1Password are the best of the bunch. Lastpass was purchased by LogMeIn in 2009 and offers up robust security features like two-factor authentication, which I mentioned above. It also automatically generates strong passwords for you if you want to use its Chrome or Firefox extension but it’s not as customizable as other password managers on this list so that might be something to keep an eye out for depending on your needs.
1Password is also highly recommended and has some amazing built-in features such as cross-platform syncing across mobile devices and desktop computers with their app (there is no browser plugin). They offer great prices too at just $36 per year per person accounts, unlike most providers who charge around $60-$120 per year.
Using password managers is super easy! All you do is sign up and install the tool on your computer or as an extension in your browser. It will automatically let you know when you have a saved password on a site and it will let you know if you need to store the password you’re currently creating.
It’s also not a bad idea to occasionally check the password manager for outdated passwords or accounts that you no longer need.
Strong means complicated, and some numbers, symbols, upper-case letters, lower-case letters are all examples of strong passwords. You should make your password as long as possible without being repetitive so it would be hard for someone else to guess what it was if they had access to it! Try using combos like “p@ssw0rd” which has both uppercase words and numbers. Most password managers have a built-in password generator that will help you create long and difficult-to-crack passwords.