Password managers

One of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself is to use a unique, strong password for each of your accounts and apps. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to remember all of the different passwords. In addition, we know it’s time-consuming to constantly have to type in your passwords at different sites, generate new passwords, track the answers to all your security questions, and numerous other factors. However, there is a solution that will make your life both much simpler and far more secure–password managers.

How Password Managers Work

Password managers work by storing all of your passwords in a database, which is sometimes called a vault. The password manager encrypts the vault’s contents and protects it with a master password that only you know. When you need your passwords, such as to log in to your online bank or email account, you simply type your master password into your password manager to unlock the vault. The password manager will automatically retrieve the correct password and securely log you into the website. You no longer have to remember your passwords or manually log in to your accounts.

In addition, most password managers include the ability to automatically synchronize across multiple devices. This way, when you update a password on your laptop, those changes are synchronized to all your other devices. Finally, most password managers detect when you’re attempting to create a new online account or update the password for an existing account, and they automatically update the vault for you.

It’s critical that the master password you use to protect the password manager is long and unique. In fact, we recommend you make your master password a passphrase–a long password made up of multiple words or phrases. If your password manager supports two-step verification, use that for your master password as well. Finally, be sure you remember your master passphrase. If you forget it, you will not be able to access any of your other passwords.

Choosing a Password Manager

There are many password managers to choose from. 

Here are a couple:

• Bitwarden
• Keeper
• 1Password

Password managers are a great way to securely store all your passwords and other sensitive data, such as credit card numbers. However, make sure to use a unique, strong master passphrase and always use the latest version of whichever solution you choose.