If you think the password era is coming to an end, think again. For the time being, they’re here to stay. Passwords are inconvenient and difficult to remember, and just when you think you’ve got them down, you’re ordered to change them again. Passwords can also be readily guessed and hacked in some cases. Passwords, as much as no one hates them, are an unavoidable part of life.
While major companies and small businesses have attempted to eliminate passwords by replacing them with fingerprint and face-scanning technologies, neither is foolproof, and many people still rely on the tried-and-true (but inconvenient) password. How do you make it simpler to live with passwords? A password manager is required.
What is a password manager, and how does it work? Consider a password manager to be a book of your passwords, with a master key that only you have and additional security features to secure your most private information. When you join up for new websites, password managers do more than simply save your passwords; they also help you develop and preserve secure, unique passwords. That means you can use your password manager to access a website or app, copy your password, paste it into the login box, and you’re in. Password managers frequently include browser extensions that fill in your password for you.
And, because many password managers include secured cross-device sync, you can carry your passwords with you everywhere you go – even on your phone. You might believe that giving your password manager a “master key” is a single point of failure. What if my master password is stolen? That is a realistic and acceptable fear.
However, if you’ve picked a strong and unique master password that you haven’t used before, it’s a near-perfect solution to safeguard the rest of your passwords from unauthorized access. Furthermore, most password organizers include extra security features such as two-factor authentication, which means that a determined hacker would be unable to access your password manager using only your master password.
What’s the point of having one? Password managers simplify the process of setting and remembering strong passwords, as well as storing additional sensitive information such as tokens, credit cards, and crypto keys. That’s all there is to it. However, there are three compelling reasons to be concerned. Passwords are often stolen. Sites and services, just like you, are vulnerable to data breaches and phishing attempts that aim to mislead you into handing up your password. Although businesses are required to hash your password when storing it, not all do so using strong or contemporary methods, making it easy for hackers to reverse the process and read your password in plain text.
Some businesses don’t even bother to hash! This puts your accounts at danger of fraud, or your personal information at risk of being exploited against you in the case of identity theft. However, the longer and more complicated your passwords are, the longer it will take hackers to crack them. That can be a password made up of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation — or, as many people are doing, purposefully long passwords made up of numerous distinct words that are easy to remember but significantly more secure than shorter passwords.
The sheer amount of passwords we must remember is another issue. It’s simple to use the same password for everything: banks, social media accounts, email, and utilities. However, this facilitates “credential stuffing.” When hackers steal your password from one hacked site and try to get in to your account on other sites, this is known as “password re-use.” Using a password manager makes it much easier to create and maintain unique passwords for each site, reducing credential stuffing attacks.
Also, keep in mind who is around you while you’re in a crowded or bustling environment, such as a coffee shop or an airline. Passwords typed in by adjacent eavesdroppers can be viewed, copied, and subsequently utilized. In many circumstances, using a password manager eliminates the need to input any passwords at all. Passwords may be be safely shared with friends or coworkers using the more common password management features.
