Pandemic time is a perfect opportunity for fraud
I have seen a significant increase in my e-mail inboxes with requests to verify my banking information, my employer (whoever that might be in my solo person business) needing to verify my login credentials or to confirm that I can log in remotely, or asking if I can help on a very urgent transaction (although an easy one).
This increase in the phishing-type e-mails made think not only that we need to be as vigilant as ever regarding potential fraud, but also regarding the importance of ensuring that your digital life is properly protected. In my view, that means using strong passwords and a different password for each website or service. In the video above, I discuss some benefits of a password manager and some options available on the market.
What is a password manager?
A password manager is software dedicated to storing all your passwords. All you need is a SINGLE very strong password that you will remember and the rest is stored within the password manager. It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember your master password, because most services do not have access to it (for your own protection) and cannot help you reset it. Password managers can also help you generate long random passwords (based on the criteria you set), change password on compromised websites, and store other important notes or images as encrypted files (e.g. copy of your passport).
Why not just use your browser or security software?
Most web browsers offer at least a rudimentary password manager. This is where your passwords are stored when Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox ask if you would like to save a password. Many computer software packages also offer a password manager as an option. This is certainly better than using a single password for all your logins, but browser-based password managers are limited in their utility.
In most cases, you cannot use your web browser stored passwords across multiple platforms – i.e. you may not be able to use a password that you stored on your laptop to access the website on your Apple device. In many cases, you are also limited to using the passwords for services that you access through a browser, which means you cannot use the service for non-browser/independent app such as your banking app. Aside from the cross-platform limitations, the reason security experts recommend using a dedicated password manager comes down to focus. Web browsers have other priorities that haven’t left much time for improving their password manager. For instance, most of them won’t generate strong passwords for you, leaving you right back at where you started – trying to come up with a password yourself. Your imagination can only go so far. Dedicated password managers have a single focus and have been adding helpful features for years now. This simply leads to better security, in my view.
Possible options
There are many password managers on the market. Below are only some currently available on the market, in no particular order. I am not promoting any particular product and not affiliated with any of them in any way. The best approach is to try at least a few on a trial basis and see which one fits you best. If you search the names, you will see that some of these have been in the TOP 5 for a number of years now. That is not to say that others are not good products or not secure. Again, consider trying a few and see which one works best for you. Some also have family plans, which means you can have multiple users on the service for a single low monthly fee.
1Password – https://1password.com/
LastPass – https://www.lastpass.com/
Dashlane – https://www.dashlane.com/
NordPass – https://nordpass.com/
Keeper – https://www.keepersecurity.com/pricing-personal.html?t=f
Bitwarden – https://bitwarden.com/
Ever wonder if your e-mail address has been compromised?
If you ever wondered if your e-mail address has been part of a service or list that has been involved in a breach, you can check for free on this website – https://haveibeenpwned.com/
If you find that your e-mail address was involved in a breach, I strongly encourage you to change the password immediately (assuming you have not done so since the date of the breach).
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Thanks for reading.