With all of the reports these days about cyber attacks increasing by 600-700% during the international lock-downs, we felt it was a perfect time to explain why using a password manager is a good idea and some insight into which Password Managers we use internally here at Vintage IT Services.

A password manager is exactly what it sounds like.  It is an application built specifically to store your passwords in one secure location.  While the sticky note on your monitor is a convenient “password manager” it is also a giant advertisement that says “HACK ME PLEASE”

In addition to being a much more secure means of storing your passwords, these applications also generally incorporate password generators that will allow you to create unique secure passwords with the click of a button.

Another advantage of password managers is that by using one properly you will only need to remember one password (for the manager itself) instead of trying to remember 5 different passwords.

In addition, since you now only have to remember a single password, you can go a little crazy and not have to use the word “password” as your password.  Try using a combination or words and dates or replacing letters like E with the digit 3 instead.  S3cUr3 P@ssW0rD! is a good example of this.

When it comes to deciding on which password manager to use it is really up to your personal preference.  Just make sure to do your research to assure they are a legitimate company and know that by using a password manager you are in a much safer place.

A couple of password managers we recommend are:

KeePass – https://keepass.com/

LastPass – https://www.lastpass.com/