It’s easy to become lazy when it comes to keeping track of your passwords online. For most, the tendency is to use one or a handful of passwords for fear of forgetting them.

With an overwhelming amount of information online, it can be frustrating when you’re trying to access the website you want to login to. However, it’s a highly questionable policy to use the same password across multiple platforms or websites. There is a higher chance of the security of the site being compromised and your security credentials being hacked (Ashley Madison, anyone?).

Coming up with both secure and memorable passwords isn’t easy and is also a poor use of your time, so it’s ideal to let your password manager generate super-strong passwords that are also unique to the website you’re trying to access.

Software overview

For many, password managers will be unfamiliar territory, but the effort you put into learning about this software now is well worth it in the long run. When you realise just how vulnerable you are without one, it will become a priority to get your password database in order and make sure you have a good balance between security and convenience.

Once you get used to your password manager of choice, you’ll likely wonder how you managed for so long without one.

Most web browsers will provide some sort of password storage facility, such as Google smart lock on Chrome or Apple keychain on Safari. A standalone password manager will be a lot more secure in terms of the levels of encryption and will have better functionality than the aforementioned browser-based applications.

Cybersecurity is serious

Although breaches in data protection and cybersecurity issues are nothing new, a surprisingly small amount of people seem to take the precautions necessary when they go online. At the start of 2017, the Pew Research Center of Technology found that only 10% of Americans actually used a password manager.

It’s not only online login details that they are useful for either. They can store your debit card details and can be set to populate online forms automatically if you wish. They can also be useful for any offline details that might sometimes slip your mind like pin codes for bank cards, gym access or security passcodes for work.

Overall, a good password manager can make your life easier and help you out of some sticky situations as well. There are a few different types of password managers to choose from depending on the user’s needs.

So which one is right for you?

Desktop-based

This type of application lives locally on your machine, which means all the data is securely encrypted, prohibiting access to anyone else. It is a secure option but is limited in that you can’t use it across your other devices.

Cloud-based

This is the most popular option these days as it allows you to access your password vault across all your devices. The downside is that it leaves you more open to data breaches as it’s stored in an online server.

There are things you can do to tighten up any cybersecurity issues though, like activating 2-factor authentication (2FA) for access to the different domains you browse. 2FA is the process of having a 2nd layer of security when logging in. You’ll receive a one-time unique code sent to your phone to input along with your password as an extra precaution.

You can read more about how to keep your web browsing watertight with 2FA https://www.1stcalldetectives.com/blog/2018-04-05-6-practical-steps-to-keep-your-online-browsing-secure“ here.

Token-based

This option is similar to 2FA but instead of having to authenticate 2FA on each website, you’ll receive a unique code every time you log in to the password database.

This extra layer makes you less susceptible to breaches, although 2FA isn’t always as secure as you’d like it to be. You can read a bit more about some of the limitations of 2FA https://www.1stcalldetectives.com/blog/2018-08-26-2fa-isnt-always-as-secure-as-you-think-it-is“ here

Stateless

This is probably the most secure type of password manager as it’s derived from a variety of elements. It typically takes a combination of your username, master password and the name of the website you’re trying to access to create a unique password.

These types of applications also don’t actually store encrypted files of your login details either, meaning less chance of any data breach.

Password managers are fairly secure for the most part but do tend to be targeted due to the large amount of sensitive information stored on them. Hackers usually have a tough time trying to break into them and even if they did, the way the data is encrypted means it will be hard for them to decode.

Make no mistake, you are far better off using a password manager than not using one at all. Having the same password for multiple sites will leave you wide open to any phishing scams or having your password cloned by malware on a different website.

If cybersecurity or online privacy is an issue for you, https://www.1stcalldetectives.com/get-in-touch.php“ 1st Call Detectives would be happy to help. Drop us a line today!