Strong passwords can be hard to remember. Thus, a password manager is recommended.
Manage complex passwords with a password manager:
A password manager is a tool that allows you to store various complex passwords in one place. Because of the importance of the information contained in password managers, using multifactor authentication is highly recommended. Additionally, choosing a reliable and safe password manager is of utmost importance. Pay close attention to the following when choosing a password manager:
- Do your due diligence to choose a trustworthy software provider: Read reviews about the product and learn about the steps they take to ensure their software is safe. What are their update policies? How often do they offer new features or new software? Have they ever been hacked? Are they associated with trustworthy brands? What are the options for password recovery?
- The data encrypted ‘at rest’: It is important that the data stored in the password manager is encrypted when it is not being used (at rest). This will prevent the data from being used even if the password manager software is hacked and the data is leaked. This is especially important if the password manager uses cloud-backup.
- Multifactor authentication must be available: Using a password manager without enabling multifactor authentication is extremely dangerous since all of your sensitive passwords are only protected by one password that can be hacked. If a password manager does not offer MFA, it is not safe.
- Cloud back-up option can be disabled: Many software offers a cloud backup option, however, it is important that the user has the option to disable this option if they do not want their data backed up to online servers. Having the option to control where your passwords are stored is important.
