Most people hate to register accounts, much less to create passwords. That might be the reason why they re-use them several times when creating accounts. Although it solves the problem at hand – registration, it leaves a gap in your security, which could one day explode in your face.
Let’s say you have 25 different online accounts. That means you should have 25 unique — and complex — passwords to manage. And since you know better than to write them down on sticky notes or in a notebook, what are you supposed to do?
It’s the year 2022, and there are solutions. One of them could be password managers. With them, you could create complex passwords and store them. You can use them to make yourself safer on the web.
So what is a password manager?
A password manager is a program that allows you to generate and store all your passwords in a safe location. Most of them let you also keep credit card information as well as secure notes. For even more security and convenience password managers also support using biometric data (fingerprint or face) instead of your master password for even more security and convenience. You can also share selected information with your family and friends without copy-pasting it into an email or instant message.
Since some password managers are heavily encrypted, it can be a smarter alternative to store your passwords in a password manager than it is to store them in a file on your computer. In the event of a malware attack, the documents on your computer could be encrypted or stolen.
How will they help me?
Password managers help securely house your passwords and also generate passwords that are unique and complex, which makes them more difficult to crack or guess. To do this, password managers use encryption algorithms.
These algorithms can be difficult to understand. What’s most important to know is that you should use a different generated password for each login to keep your information out of the hands of hackers. Every algorithm-generated password includes a combination of upper and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers, which are unpredictable.
When you generate a new password through a password manager, you’ll have the option to make it as lengthy and diverse as you like, without the need to remember it yourself. You need to select the criteria that are required of your password, typically provided by the site that you’re logging into, which could include password length among other requirements.
Password generators can help you create passwords that are unique, complex, and difficult to guess, making your logins as secure as possible.
How do password managers secure your passwords?
There are multiple ways to categorize password managers. Some providers offer multiple methods to save your data. Most of them will require you to use a master password that protects your vault.
Password managers are one of the safest ways to store passwords. A reliable password manager tool will allow you to administrate all your logins from one application. A lifesaver for those using a multitude of websites and platforms.
As applications, password managers are not at all complicated and do not require a lot of resources. It means that it’s much easier to develop them for a variety of platforms like web browsers or smartphone apps. For the end-user, this means an ability to get the same password vault no matter what’s your preferred method of connection.
The majority of password managers let you save not only logins but also credit card details and secure notes. If you’re doing a lot of online shopping, having the payment info in autofill can save quite some time. And there’s probably no better place to keep the secrets that you may want to share only with the most trusted friends.
Not only will a password manager provide a strong password, but it can also simplify your life by making account access easier for you and more difficult for hackers. If you’re considering a password manager to help protect your personal information, consider Norton Identity Safe. It’s a free password manager that makes logging into your favorite sites easier and more secure.