DON’T PASS ON PASSWORD MANAGERS
SOURCE: National Cyber Security Alliance:
https://staysafeonline.org/online-safety-privacy-basics/password-managers/
We’ve all probably used one password to secure multiple, maybe even all, of our digital accounts. But that’s not safe, and it becomes even more unsafe as time passes. If your one password gets stolen because of a breach, it becomes a skeleton key for your whole cyber life. This compromised password can be used to access all your accounts and sensitive information.
Here’s where password managers shine. Password managers are software that often takes the form of apps or browser plugins or might be included automatically in your browser or computer operating system. With a few clicks, you can generate new, secure passwords that are long, unique and complex. These password managers automatically store your passwords and can autofill them when you arrive at the site.
Password managers literally take a few minutes to download and get started with.
You can fill in all your passwords at once or add a few passwords for your key accounts (email, banking and social media, for example) and add more over time. When you log into a site, your password manager will often ask if you want to store the password – click yes, and, boom, another account is secured. And to keep your password manager extra safe, secure it with multi-factor authentication (MFA).
IT’S SAFE TO DITCH THE NOTEBOOK
A password manager is like a combined security guard and butler who tags along as you surf the web, safely carrying your passwords like a ring of keys.
A password manager is best for creating and maintaining strong passwords for the ever-increasing number of online accounts we log into. These programs store your usernames and passwords in a secure, encrypted database. When you need a new password, you can get a hyper-strong suggestion automatically stored in the password manager.
A password manager frees you from keeping a confusing notebook of passwords in a drawer or a messy sticky note with all your most important passwords stuck on your computer. You only need to remember the single password that unlocks your password manager vault.
PASSWORD MANAGER ADVANTAGES
Password managers not only let you manage hundreds of unique passwords for your online accounts, but some of the services also offer other advantages:
- Saves time
- Works across all your devices and operating systems
- Protects your identity
- Notify you of potential phishing websites
- Alerts you when a password has potentially become compromised
UNDERSTANDING PASSWORD MANAGERS
We learned in our 2022 Oh Behave! Survey that even though password managers are the best way to keep your information safe, Americans have many misconceptions about them. About 65% of Americans don’t trust password managers!
Why is this? There are a couple of reasons, but many are afraid that storing all their passwords in one place means they are at risk if a hacker breaches their vault.
This line of thinking, however, is misguided. Password managers today are safer than ever before and are much safer than using a physical notebook, storing passwords in a Notes app or reusing passwords that are easy to remember.
Compare your options and look for a quality password management system – you have a lot of choices! Here is why a password manager is the best for keeping your passwords safe:
- Encryption: Quality password managers encrypt all of the passwords stored on them, no matter whether the passwords are stored on your device or on the company’s servers. This means that your passwords would be basically impossible to decode if a hacker tried to breach your password manager. The only access to your passwords on a password manager is with a password only you know.
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Because your password vault on a password manager is so valuable, the best password managers require multi-factor authentication for you to log in. This means anyone trying to view your passwords from an unfamiliar device must log in multiple ways. This can include a facial ID, fingerprint scan, inputting a code you get in an SMS text message or approving the log-in attempt on a separate app. This builds another wall around your passwords, so you know they are kept extra secure.
- Zero Knowledge: As the name suggests, zero knowledge means a password manager does not know your password – the company does not store the keys needed to decrypt the main password that unlocks your vault. Your main password is never kept on the system’s servers. You are the only one who knows it, so you should make it strong and protect it with MFA.
PASSWORD MANAGER OPTIONS
Many different free or paid password managers are available for personal or business use. Some examples include:
We recommend that you compare the different password managers and find the one that works best for you with these trustworthy guides: