Having the same password for all accounts seems simple and convenient, but if it gets stolen, the attackers will get their hands on your precious data. But having different passwords for each account is a real pain in the neck. This is where password managers come in handy.
What benefits you get
- All data are in one place. No need to remember hundreds of dog names and birth dates – you always know where to find them.
- Total protection. The advantage of a standard manager you have in your browser is synchronization between different devices, but the cost is a high risk of having the data stolen. If someone gains full access to the browser, they can steal saved passwords or use them to log into accounts. Third-party managers store all information in encrypted storage. Only you can access it.
- Fill in forms automatically. The application recognizes the URL address and lets you fill in forms in one click. This prevents typing errors and protects against hacker attacks.
- Generate complex passwords. For each new account, you can create your own unique password from a random combination of characters, letters, and numbers.
Safety measures
Password managers use Advanced Encryption Standard which is virtually unbreakable. You can access your information only with a master key. You need to come up with and remember one single password to manage others.
How to choose the right manager
You can try asking for the best password manager on Reddit or save your time and check out these five features.
2. Where does the app store passwords?
An application can store data in two places: the device and the cloud. The first option effectively protects from hacker attacks, but you’ll have problems syncing passwords with other devices. Besides, if you lose the storage device, all your info will be gone too.
1. Who has access to passwords?
Need a cloud-based app? Find out if its provider keeps passwords on servers. Zero-knowledge managers don’t do that. It’s great if you’re all about security.
3. Can you enable two-factor authentication?
Manager providers invest heavily into security, but it has nothing to do with your device. Two-factor identification makes your info almost unreachable for hackers, even if they get your master key.
4. Is it possible to share your passwords?
This feature creates a hole in the app’s security, but if you’re not the only person who’s going to use the app, it’ll save a lot of time.
5. Compatibility issues
A perfect application will work equally great on your PC and smartphone. Luckily, most providers offer full compatibility across all major OS types.
Sum up
Keeping your data safe is the main task of a password manager, and all of them do a great job coping with this task. But security isn’t the only thing to consider – make sure the app is convenient.