Passwords are very important in helping us protect our online accounts. They are the first line of protection against bad actors and therefore, it is recommended that they are strong to make it harder for them to gain access to our systems and accounts. However, having a lot of online accounts and each having a different strong password, makes it difficult for us to remember all of them. What is the best solution?
Password managers are a helpful solution, because they can store as many passwords as we need, in a secure environment that is accessible only through one password that is considered as the “Master”. Password managers are also capable of syncing with desktop and mobile, entering your passwords into websites and apps, without the need to type them in during log in. Nonetheless, they still require authentication to keep your accounts secure. Many of these password managers are available for free, although it is always recommended to use the most reputable apps for saving such sensitive information as passwords.
Why should you use a password manager?
- Avoiding passwords that are too simple – When having too many accounts, the tendency is to use easy to remember passwords, which expose your accounts to risks. It is always important to remember that any password that is easy to remember, is also easy to crack. Therefore, it is best to have strong and long passwords, which consist of a mix of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters and characters.
- Only one password to remember – Although you will be creating some very long and strong passwords, all you will need to remember is just one password that serves as a master to the vault which contains all the passwords. Therefore, it will be important that this password is long and strong as it will be protecting all the other passwords in the vault.
- Random password generators – Password managers are also capable of generating very complicated random passwords which are harder to decipher. This is very helpful as they remove the burden of having to think about passwords, eliminating the risk of creating variations from the original password.
- Security features – Many password managers include features that help you spot fake websites and let you know if any of your passwords appeared within a known data breach. This way you can change it immediately. They also make sure that a unique password is being used for each of your accounts.
- Do not trust browsers – An easy step to remember all your passwords would be to let your browser remember them. Unfortunately, this option is not secure, and it does not even require that you create strong passwords.
Although Password Managers are intended to protect your accounts’ passwords, it is however recommended to be careful because if you forget the “master” password that provides access to the vault, then you will lose access to all your accounts. Similarly, if a bad actor manages to get access to the vault, then access is granted to all the accounts.
For these reasons, it is always recommended to add two-factor authentication to all accounts, and in this case also to the password manager account and all other related accounts. In this manner, if a bad actor manages to uncover your “master” password, they will still not be able to access the accounts. Moreover, it is also suggested that you install any updates on your password manager application as soon as they are made available. This way you can ensure that any exploitable vulnerabilities are patched accordingly.
This Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre. Neither the European Union nor the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre can be held responsible for them.