5 best password managers — how to securely organize your passwords
Introduction
Passwords are the cream of the crop of an Internet user’s online life. They are used for pretty much everything you do on the world wide web — Facebook and social media, Gmail or other type of email, bank, PayPal accounts as well as various other that depend on your interests. This is why hackers always to crack user passwords, as with that they can get — user personal information, bank account number, social security, email, phone and so on. Scared to run your email trough Have I been Pwned and see where you password was leaked? If yes, then read on.
Password leaks and data breaches
With so many data breaches and hackers trying their best to get their hands on sensitive or personal user data, no wonder that so many breaches happen. Recently, a bug was found in Google’s database, showing that G suite passwords were stored in plain text. So, sometimes hackers don’t even need that hard to try and get passwords, companies due to bugs and various technical issues sometimes hand them on a silver platter. People began to educate themselves on cyber-security and how to avoid online threats as well as password leaks, as more incidents come into light. Therefore, security tool such as a password manager has sparked the interest of many for its numerous advantages, such as secure storing, needing to remember only 1 master password, auto-fill and so on.
Which type of password would be considered secure?
These tips have been all over the Internet, yet still not enough people pay attention to these crucial suggestions. Securing your password is honestly not that difficult, all you have to keep in mind is:
- Unique password. This one isn’t stretched enough — have a unique password for every account that you create online, do not use the same password when creating a new account. The easiest way for a hacker to crack your multiple accounts is to find out that one password you have and then try to match it to other different services or accounts.
- A lengthy password. A password should be made up from 12 letter words to 16 letter words. And by saying words, I mean just random gibberish made from random letters, numbers and symbols. Gone are the days when a word as a password that meant something special to you was a secure one.
- A strong password. Upper case, lowercase, symbols, random letters and numbers that don’t have a pattern. And this means avoid passwords like JaneDoe1!, as it is one of the easiest patterns to recognize.
Top 5 password managers
While some password managers offer a free version, it is always best to go for a paid one. A paid option means that the data stored will be kept more under wraps and will be private. As often with free products, a free option is not always the best option. Most managers offer handy extensions to show you how to manage passwords in Chrome or other browsers, but some offer software that you can install. Usually, access to Open Vault is given, as it is a place where your information can be accessed by you to see all your stored and managed passwords.
Made by the same company behind a popular premium VPN service provider NordVPN, NordPass is as secure as it can get. NordVPN is known for its strict no logs policy and high-quality services as well as strong encryption. No less is done for NordPass — safe password management, private notes for important information storing, top-level encryption, it’s an advanced password manager at its best. Also, NordPass boasts its very own password generator with all the features you might need to generate secure password as well as a password strength checker for your already created passwords.
Another good password manager that offers end to end encryption, a Secret Key that only you get access to. A Secret Key is kept locally, so it never leaves your devices and 1password explains that this method is even better than 2FA, as it is not only secure but the one that encrypts your traffic. It is also the only password organizer to use WebCrypto standard to make secure cryptography in the browser.
Keeper is a high-level password manager that offers its services with additions features that you can bundle up. For example, get a password manager and the secure keeper chat or get them separately if you need only one. Keeper has been a favorite for a while, with its 2FA, secure sharing, file storage, personal information organizing and more.
One of the more popular password managers, Dashlane stores and secures your passwords. You can also easily sync Dashlane on all of your devices. This password manager gives you access to secure notes and documents for sensitive information keeping as well as a nice feature of breach monitoring that alerts you when something goes wrong.
LastPass is a password manager that is free, but can be upgraded to a Premium account with an access to more features. In itself, LastPass is very simple to use, can provide emergency access to someone important to you in a state of emergency, gives the ability to share it with more than one person as well as offers 1GB encrypted file storage for all your sensitive and personal information.
Conclusion
Getting a password manager or securing your current passwords, making them strong and difficult to crack is a must for every Internet user. Hackers can easily get their hands on your personal information, access to bank accounts easily. Also, they can sell your Netflix, Spotify and other accounts online by changing the passwords and then selling the subscription. That way, you will still pay for the subscription while someone else uses these services. It is better to invest a few dollars in your online security and be sure that your password never appears on those password leak lists.
