Josh G | Social Media & Content Lead
These days, it seems like you need a password for everything. Ordering food, paying bills, showing off your tan, you name it, you’ve got to enter the magical combination of letters, numbers and special characters.
Now, if you could just use one password rather than half a dozen, you might actually be able to remember it. Trouble is, one isn’t very secure, especially when it’s based on your birthday or your cat. And if hackers crack it, they’re into everything. All up in your business!
Shockingly, the most common passwords in 2023 were still good old ‘password’ or ‘123456’. If you want one that’s tougher than a cage fighter, you should:
🔢 Aim for at least twelve characters
🥳 Never include personal information
♒ Use a unique password for each important app
Incorporating song lyrics or phrases makes passwords hard to break but you still need them at your fingertips. And jotting them down on a Post-it note defeats the object. What you need is a password manager.
A password manager is a piece of software that helps you create strong passwords, store them securely and access them easily. The best will generate strong passwords for you, meaning you only need to create (and remember) one single master password to get to all the others.
The password manager function on your browser is convenient and means you don’t have to download yet another piece of software. But it does lock you into that particular browser. And standalone password managers are generally more secure.
There are quite a few to choose from. Including 1Password, Dashlane and Nordpass to name but three. Before taking the plunge, do your homework to find the one that suits you best. Here’s the three things to look for:
🎁 What do I get?
In addition to offering next-level encryption and security benefits, some password managers allow you to share passwords securely on multiple devices. And some allow you to save more than just passwords.
💸What does it cost?
Although there are some free and ‘freemium’ password managers on the market, many come with a small cost. But there are plenty of deals out there.
😌 Is it easy to use?
Choose a password manager that’s easy to navigate and has clear filters. If you have to spend hours finding a password, you’ll soon fall back into bad habits. And look for a secure app and browser extensions.
Remember, your passwords are the keys to your digital kingdom. You wouldn’t leave your home unprotected. So don’t make it easy for hackers to burgle your apps and accounts. The best way to protect yourself, your family and your data is to get a password manager.
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