It seems just about every site these days requires you to set up an account, and every account requires a password. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have dozens of active online accounts with, hopefully, a different password for each account.
The problem is, of course, how does one remember all those passwords? The good news is, you don’t have to; a password manager will do that job for you, and very nicely. However, many users have concerns about saving their passwords in a password manager, mainly from a security point of view.
So, here are some key points regarding password managers and security that I hope will help ease those concerns:
Password Managers & Data Breaches
Most password managers utilize the “cloud” to synchronize your passwords across devices, and when you set up a password manager, you are prompted to create a master password, which protects your vault (passwords) from unauthorized access.
One of the concerns most often expressed by users is: what if the password manager gets hacked? Honestly, your passwords are perfectly safe, and here’s why:
- Without the master password, nobody, not even the password manager, can access your passwords
- Nobody knows the master password but you, not the password manager or anybody else
- Your passwords never leave the device. Data is encrypted locally on your device, and only you hold the encryption keys to decrypt it
Of course, you need to set up a strong master password to protect your vault. There are many ways to create a strong password, including a passphrase consisting of a string of words that have meaning only to you.
Here are some other excellent ideas:
What If You Get A New PC?
Some users are concerned that when/if they acquire a new PC, all their passwords will be lost and they’ll need to start all over again. That is definitely not the case.
All you need to do is install the same password manager you have been using on the old PC, input your master password, and you’ll have instant access to all your passwords again. Simple!
What If You Forget The Master Password?
No doubt the master password is extremely important and, while forgetting it would definitely create a problem, you can take precautions to overcome that eventuality:
- Write the master password down and store it securely, within a safe or in any safe place
- Back up your passwords (vault) occasionally. Most password managers provide a method to export (save) the vault, often in CSV format. Store the backup(s) on a USB drive and keep that drive securely stashed away in a safe place
- In the end, having to remember just one password is far more preferable than having to remember dozens of passwords
BOTTOM LINE:
We’ve only touched on the security implications here, but password managers also include several excellent/useful features, including creating and remembering strong passwords for you.
Password Manager Recommendations:
- Bitwarden – free for personal use, Premium edition currently at $20.00 US per year
- Proton Pass – full-featured free version available. Proton Pass Plus with additional features currently $36.00 US per year
- 1Password – currently at $38.00 US per year for a single user, and $59.00 US per year for up to 5 users
- LastPass – currently at $36.00 US per year for a single user, and $48.00 US per year for up to 6 users
- NOTE: LastPass Free version now only supports one device and no cross-device support
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Thanks Jim
Good article but no way will I rent this sort of software and pay those exorbitant annual fees just for a password subscription though. Remember as soon as you start using one and get used to the way it works, you will keep using it indefinitely and likely won’t want to switch to a cheaper one that may become available. So year after year those annual costs will start to add up ! You are far better off buying a lifetime licence. I use Sticky Password and bought it outright. I just looked and it is currently $ 80 USD for life on their website but I paid far less than that for my lifetime subscription three or four years ago (I think around $ 29 USD). For example just as an example it is $ 49.50 USD if you buy through the Ashampoo website and I am sure there are even better promotions for less if you look under enough rocks. For that one-off purchase I can use it on my PC’s, Apple IPhone and two Ipads and my passwords are all backed up to the cloud and synced between the lot of them.
Take my tip, find the one you like that has an outright purchase option on unlimited PC’s and devices before they only offer subscriptions on all of them !
Hey Reg,
Mate, you must have missed the top two recommendations in my list.
Both Bitwarden and Proton Pass are free for personal use, both support synced passkeys and, most importantly, both are excellent.
Reg Part 2
Jim’s article provoked my Sherlock Holmes grey matter so upon further investigation it seems that not many password managers have a lifetime subscription any more so you have far fewer options than previously. Sticky Password (which I have been very happy with but have only used one or two others I trialed years ago when I first went looking for a password manager) looks like one of the few remaining and I could still find it for $ 29.99 online. You also have Keepass which is open source and reputable and you cannot argue with “free” pricing but then you do have to manage the syncing between different devices yourself – there are ways to do that so if you have a little tech knowledge that is probably the cheapest way to go.
Cheers
Reg
I am a long term user of KeePass and have recently upgraded to KeePassXC. All FREE. The bonus is the passwords are stored on your PC, not the cloud. I use this program on two PC’s plus my android phone.
My desktop has the master version of my database. Periodically, I just export the database, which is encrypted, and import it on my other two devices. Easy.
I have one password that works wherever the database is loaded.
Hey Tom,
KeePass has been a good option, especially for free. However, in the face of a couple of serious security breaches it’s reputation has been soiled somewhat making it a difficult recommendation.
The developers moved quickly to patch the latest vulnerability but, for many users, the memory of those breaches lingers on.
That was 3 yrs ago and was promptly fixed. 2nd, you must fall for the exploit. If that was the only criteria to not recommend this software, we should avoid Windows a hundred time over. 🙂