In the early days of the Internet, we used to have a couple of passwords for important online properties (email, website, etc.). But as technologies evolved, we are now creating hundreds of passwords, some of which we rarely use more than once or twice.
Creating and managing secure passwords for different services can be impractical in the long run…at least without the assistance of a password management.
If you’ve been keeping your passwords written on the side of your desk or saving them in a text file on your device – you should stop immediately.
The Importance of a Strong Password
Passwords are the guardians of our information. They represent information that should be unique to every user – much like the key to your front door. If you lose your door key – anyone who finds it can simply walk through your door at any time. The results can be devastating.
Similar to that idea, your password safeguards any online account you create on different platforms. It can protect your financial (in the case of an online bank account) or private information (for example, Facebook).
If your bank account password gets stolen, the one holding it can easily clean you out financially. Losing your email password can lead to identity theft and compromise many other accounts you’ve created online.
What Are Password Management Tools?
Password Management tools are applications or services that help us create, securely store, and quickly autofill passwords when necessary. Of course, not all of the available solutions will necessarily offer the same features.
For instance, the Chome web browser has a password utility that can store and fill in passwords as a basic quality-of-life feature.
On a more advanced level, some password management tools create complex passwords on demand. The utilities then associate the passkeys with particular accounts and store them securely in encrypted form.
Essentially, the purpose of a password manager is to help us control our passwords and keep secure credentials everywhere we sign up.
The Benefits of Password Management Tools
When told to create a secure password and keep it safe, many of us ignore the benefits of password managers and reuse strings like “Pаssword” or “123456.” Sure, those are easy to remember, but also the first credentials hackers try when attempting to break in.
Password managers ease our lives immensely in that direction. Using one, you get more than a few benefits:
Never Having to Memorize Another Password
When it comes to passwords, it’s best to create one that includes letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and special symbols. Not to mention you should keep different credentials for every different login.
One of the main benefits of password managers is they cover this for you. You simply need to create a strong password on any website, and the password manager will store it safely without you needing to remember it.
Additional Security for Passwords
Some password managers do more than store your passwords. They use complex algorithms, encryption, and other methods to make sure your passwords are safe. Using tactics like this, even if someone steals your passwords, they will be unreadable to them.
Complex Password Creation
Earlier, we mentioned having to remember hundreds of passwords. Since that’s nearly impossible, many of us simply re-use one password or use a simple string like “123456.”
Since password managers help us store them, we can create highly complex and unique passwords for every service. The added advantage is that you only need to change a single password if the platform gets compromised.
Faster Access
Most password managers not only store but also help you fill in passwords. For instance, you create a password for a website, and the next time you visit it and click on the username field – the password manager will present a list of credentials from which you can choose.
That’s much faster than having you remember and type in lengthy passwords on a keyboard, right?
Adding Associated Information
Another feature that dedicated password managers often include is the ability to store additional information. This data can include details like address fields, contact numbers, credit card information, and more.
It’s the same as the password autofill feature, except on a hyped-up scale.
Remember those pesky forms that many websites want you to fill in? Well, the password manager could handle that for you as well.
Some of the Best Password Management Tools ?
1. Norton Password Manager
2. Google Password Manager
3. Keeper
4. 1Password
5. LastPass
It’s easy to point fingers when something goes wrong – and many things can go wrong when passwords get lost or stolen. However, remember that a portion of responsibility lies on each of us to ensure we’re doing the best we can to keep ourselves safer.