There’s a lot of confusion out there regarding password managers. However, they’re a lot simpler than you might think. In this article, we’re going to talk about the misconception of how difficult it is to password protect your electronic devices.
The most commonly asked questions about password management are how to set up the service, where will passwords be stored, can passwords be shared, and how do password managers work with smartphone apps?
Features of the Best Password Managers
In general, most people use weak passwords or reuse passwords on multiple accounts. The drawback to this approach is this makes us more susceptible to crimes such as identity theft. That’s where using a password management tool comes into play to help secure your private information.
The best password manager is the one that will generate, retrieve, and keep track of super-long, crazy-random passwords across countless accounts for you, while also protecting all your critical login data online. Making use of a variety of unique passwords is the best way to ensure that your most important accounts can’t be hacked and your info or funds aren’t stolen.
Another feature of the best password manager programs is the ability to store more than passcodes. You should look for a password management option that also allows you to securely store your PINs, credit card numbers and CVV codes, and answers to security questions. When the encryption is this strong, it might take a hacker between decades and forever to crack your password management tool.
Additional Online Security
The biggest benefit of having a password manager is that you get tons of security and you only have to remember a single passcode. Password management tools allow you to access as many unique passcodes as you need for your online accounts.
And all you need is one “master password” to your passcode vault. This gives you the chance to keep prying eyes off your private info, while still keeping your login info right at your fingertips.
Of course, you should still take other measures to keep yourself safe online. Make sure to set password protected lock screens on all of your mobile devices and a PIN to log into your computer. Plus, take advantage of using two-factor authentication with critical accounts, such as those for your bank or credit cards.
How to Use a Password Manager
As far as finding the best password manager, security experts say you shouldn’t overthink it. As long it’s a well-known company with great user reviews, you should be good-to-go. Additionally, if you try one password manager and don’t like it, it’s not a huge deal, because you can switch to another provider pretty easily.
Once you choose the right password manager for your needs, be sure to follow any setup instructions. You don’t want to lose out on the biggest password management benefits by not using your passcode vault properly. And be sure to choose a master password that isn’t easy to guess but is also hard to forget.
Next step is to let your password management tool know about your various online accounts. You’ll have the option to either import passwords you’ve stored in your browser, have the password manager store your username and password the next time you log in to a site, or enter the information manually whenever you want.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re surfing the Web on a mobile device or a laptop, chances are you’ll need to log into some type of account at one time or another. You can either hope you won’t get hacked and become the victim of identity theft or you can install a password manager for iPhone, Android, Mac, or Windows.
We’ve found that the top password management companies offer options for any type of electronic device you might be using to access the Internet. And most of them make it super simple to keep your private info safe anywhere you go with mobile and desktop applications.
You can find our top rated password managers at FindReviews to make your decision easier!