Education

PASSWORD MANAGERS CAN HELP KEEP YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS SAFE

You’ve heard the advice about password security:

Use strong, unique passwords that contain at least 8 characters or more.

Each password should be a mix of upper and lowercase letters along with numbers and special characters - something along the lines of Su934g!4L@9lAy, for example.

And use different passwords for each of your sensitive accounts – such as banking and email – so if one gets hacked the others won’t be easy targets.

But how are you going to remember all of those passwords when you need them?

A password manager might be the answer.

Password managers are software applications that you can install on your computer or mobile device and then they act as a locked vault that securely stores your sensitive passwords behind a single master password.

It’s up to you to create that single, strong password that unlocks your vault. Be sure to make it different from all your others.

And THAT’S the password you’ll need to remember so you’ll have access to the rest that are stored in the manager.

Password managers can either be free or can cost a small fee.

The free ones can usually be installed on just a single device, while the premium versions can be installed on multiple devices and your information can be synched across those devices.

Password managers encrypt your information so it’s protected, and they can also store your user names and account website addresses as well. They can even generate passwords if you choose that option.

Once you log into the manager, a click on one of your stored accounts will take you to the site and can log you in.

There are many password managers out there and some are better than others. Use the Internet to search for ‘password managers’ and read the comparisons to find the top-rated ones and to see which one might be best for you, then download one and give it a try.

Password managers can be great if you have multiple accounts because they let you create strong passwords for each one and then keep them secure so your accounts stay safe. Learn more about protecting yourself and your digital information here.