Why You Should Be Using a Password Manager

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(Newswire.net — November 8, 2019) — Today, the one thing standing sentinel between your many accounts or services and hackers is your password. Given how many digital platforms we’re using, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember them all. In light of this, a lot of people are using different strategies to make it easier to remember all access keys. 

Unfortunately, many are opting to use weak passwords like 123456, password, 123456789, 12345678, 12345 (which were the top five most common passwords in 2018, according to SplashData). Or worse – they are using the same password across services! That is, in no way, a solid plan to keep your information safe. Instead, you should listen to experts ranging from tech CEOs to Python developers and start using a password manager.

Why? Let’s take a look at a few very good reasons why you should be making use of a password manager.

But first…

What is a Password Manager?

A password manager is an application that allows you to save access entries for websites, services, and more, including usernames, URLs, and passwords. These tools are typically locked with a single password sometimes called the “master password”. This means that all you have to remember is that one master key to gain access to all of your login credentials. 

Most good password managers also includes a random password generator, which can create a strong password for any website or service at the click of a button. Because the password manager saves all of this information, you can use complicated and robust passwords like *uI)_$%_18jtF, as you won’t have to memorize them.

Overly Simple Passwords

It cannot be stated enough that a lot of the most common passwords used today are too simple. With the right tools, a hacker can crack a simple password in the blink of an eye. The password 123456 can be cracked in roughly .20 milliseconds (according to this BetterBuys calculator). The same holds true when using the word password. However, the password 8uU*oP would take 10 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds to crack using the same tools and hardware.

When considering a new password, you shouldn’t use anything you can easily memorize. A good rule of thumb is that the harder a password is to memorize, the harder it is to crack. With the right password manager, you won’t have to worry about creating those unique and strong passwords, because the random password generator can do that for you.

There Can Be Only One

As mentioned earlier, when employing a password manager, you only need to memorize one password. That one password is the key that gains you access to all of your passwords housed within the manager. That means you can use incredibly difficult passwords for your sites and services, without memorizing them. 

Once you’ve entered the only password you’ve had to memorize, you can then locate the password you need, copy it to your computer’s clipboard, and paste it where required. When you’re done, close the password manager and your information is safely locked away. As long as you create a strong master password for the manager, you’ll be protected.

The Odds Are Against You

You may have been lucky so far. You’ve been using password123 for all of your accounts for years, and you’ve never been hacked. However, if you continue using that password, it’s not a matter of “if” you’ll be hacked but “when” will it happen. And because you have tens or maybe even hundreds of services that require a password, you might as well be using one password for them all to keep things simple. 

Rest assured, that simplicity will backfire. At some point, someone is going to guess that password and will have access to one or more of your accounts. Using the same password for all of your accounts (even if it’s complex) is a HUGE no-no. Do not do this. Use a different password for every account you have to stack the odds in your favor. Otherwise, the odds are against your data remains safe. A password manager makes this easy.

One App For All Your Devices

Unlike making use of a different password for every service, some password managers allow you to use one tool for all of your devices. For example, Enpass has a desktop and mobile version of their software, both of which can be in constant sync (with the help of a cloud service, such as Google Cloud or Dropbox). 

With those apps in sync, you have access to all of your passwords, whether you’re at your desk or on the go. By making use of the sync feature, you are never without the ability to open your accounts or log into a website. 

No More Prying Eyes

Have you ever been in a crowded business and needed to enter a password into your mobile device? When that happens, do you ever worry that someone might be looking over your shoulder as you type? Using a password manager circumvents that, as most of them allow you to copy a password without making it visible. 

By doing this, no one can peek over your shoulder and quickly learn the password you’re about to enter. Using a password manager means never having to actually type your passwords again. And with some mobile versions of password managers, you can opt to use a fingerprint scan to gain access to your password manager instead of having to type out the master password, which increases your security even more.

There are plenty more reasons why you should be using a password manager, but those listed here should be enough to convince you that these tools are simply the right way to go. Leave those weak passwords behind and be safer … rather than sorry.