If you had a password for every site and account you have would you remember them all? Well, security experts recommend all internet users to keep different passwords for their various accounts. This is essential in maintaining security of your information.
Take an example of an average person with the same password across different platforms. An accidental hack on any of those accounts compromises the security of all your accounts. Access to your passwords can be by friends-turned-enemies, a teenager playing with his computer from the middle of Bolivia or a serious hacker with intention to read and keep track of your official communication.
Password managers are applications that will generate and keep your passwords on a cross-platform scale. That way, you just have a single password to remember across all your devices. Let’s take a look at some of the best password managers
LastPass
LastPass has been voted one of the best password manager. It was one of the first password managers to provide a cross platform support with seamless sync for all devices. With LastPass, all passwords are saved with an online backup you can access from any device. It enables one to audit passwords, ensure use of stronger passwords and will even automatically change your password in case it detects a hack on one of your accounts.
LastPass supports two-step verification with google authenticator, a Yubikey (we’ll talk about it in a later article) and USB disk. Additional features include secure password monitoring, credit monitoring, autofill form tools, and notifications in case of an intrusion into any of your account. The application and its plugins are free to download and are supported by Windows, OS X, Android, Linux, FIREFOX and many more. A premium upgrade costs $12 a year.
Dashlane.
The application launched in Beta in 2012 and has gained distinction due to its sharp and easy to use interface. It is the expression of ease in the password world. This simplicity is evident in security, auto-login and auto-fill for your passwords. It also supports two-factor verification and the ability to share passwords with an emergency contacts just in case you cannot login to your accounts. Dashlane gives you the ability to change multiple passwords with a few clicks. Its purchase tracking and digital wallet features ease the tracking of online purchases. The free version is easily downloadable A premium version of the application/service cost $40 per year.
Keepass
Keepass is a free and open-source application that stores your passwords in a localized database you control. Keepass is portable and easy to carry with you in a USB disk. The application can be configured with multiple levels of access for different people on the same computer. Due to its nature as an open source application, there are multiple plugins that extend the functionality of the software to bring forth functionality for multiple browsers, operating systems and a host of other features.
Other password management tools include Password and RoboForm.
It’s important to keep different passwords and also change them every once in a while. A good idea for your passwords is to have them in your mother tongue. They are way harder to crack than your pet’s name.
