Among the numerous problems that come with the internet, choosing a password is high up there on the list. Most people resort to easy-to-guess passwords like password123, secret, or even 12345678. Hackers just love such a show of ignorance.
One good advice for people who are too lazy to think of a unique password is to use a password manager. But should you really use one? Is it true that everyone needs to use password managers?
Password Managers Mini FAQ
How can password managers help me?
Other than creating strong passwords, password managers also help you fill in forms on sites and apps that you trust. That means there’s less chance of you becoming the victim of phishing because the password managers will check if the sites are legit before entering your details.
Password managers will also tell you if a site has been breached recently so you weigh in the risk and decide if you should trust the site or not.
Are password managers safe?
Quite. Anything you put into the manager is encrypted and you’re the only one who holds the key to decrypt them. The key itself is made locally on your device to guarantee that nobody else knows it.
Do many people use password managers?
No, only less than 5% of internet users use password managers. The majority of internet users don’t even know such a thing exists. Even those who know about password managers think they can get around without ever using the service.
So, is there a downside to using password managers?
Yes. Using a password manager does present new issues. One of them is that if you forget the password for your password manager, you’re in trouble. Forget the security key and you’re in big trouble.
No matter how many hours you spend with customer support, once you forget the master password and security key, you lose access to all your passwords. Why? Because any password manager company worth their salt will never store the master password or the security key for you. It is your responsibility to print or write them down then store them in a safe place.
Do password managers get hacked?
Yes, they do. That’s why they encrypt all information you feed them. Not a single soul in the company can see the real passwords you save on their servers. They can see how many passwords you have, which accounts they are for, and how many you add or delete recently, but that’s about it. The secret stuff remains a secret to everyone but you.
Are password managers even necessary? Chrome already saves all my passwords.
Security experts recommend internet users to start using password managers. However, the decision is up to you. How well do you want to protect yourself and your various accounts from cyber-attacks?
Just so you know, Google Chrome stores passwords as plain text. That’s right. No encryption whatsoever. Anyone with remote access to your computer can grab your entire password without any trouble.
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