Why You Should Use a Password Manager

Password security is a critical aspect of our digital lives. With the ever-increasing amount of sensitive information stored online, we must protect ourselves from cyber threats by using strong, unique passwords for each of our accounts. However, remembering all of these passwords can be a challenge.

Through our security engagements over the years, one thing we consistently see is poor password hygiene and password reuse. Last year, we received a call from a client concerned about unauthorized access to their business email account (which also happened to be the primary O365 admin account). Upon investigation, an unauthorized person had successfully accessed our client's email account remotely and sent false invoices to this client and their customers. This resulted in a direct financial loss, as well as a potential reputational loss. I had asked whether my client used a different password for their personal email account; unfortunately, they had not. There was a lot of fallout since the personal and professional accounts were compromised. Not using a unique password for each account risks having all your accounts compromised if the reused password is disclosed or obtained during a breach.

So in a world where we need so many accounts, how can we handle memorizing strong, unique passwords? That's where password managers come in.

Password managers are applications you can install on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer that securely store your usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information. With a password manager, you no longer have to worry about using weak passwords like "password123" or reusing the same password on multiple sites.

Password managers can generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts, making it much harder for criminals to access your information. Instead of remembering dozens of different passwords, you only have to remember one master password to access your password manager. This makes it much easier for you to log into your accounts, and it saves you time in the long run. Password managers store your login information securely, so you don't have to worry about losing it. Your password manager will still be safe and secure if your computer is lost or stolen. You can also create shared vaults so that you can securely share passwords with your family or coworkers if an account needs to be accessed by more than one person.Password managers are designed to be user-friendly, and they are easy to set up and use. Even if you have little to no technical knowledge, you can still take advantage of the security and convenience that password managers offer.

There are many password managers to consider, and each tends to offer strong security, ease of use, and convenient features to help you manage your passwords and keep your information safe. Some that are worth checking out include:

• 1Password: https://1password.com/
• Dashlane: https://www.dashlane.com/
• Bitwarden: https://bitwarden.com/
• Keepass: https://keepass.info/

In future posts, we'll look into each password manager solution in more detail.