Expert travel storyteller Jordan Adkins, founder of InspiredByMaps.com, brings a decade of adventures across 101 countries and 450+ UNESCO sites into rich, off-the-beaten-path narratives, melding ecological expertise with genuine, seasoned travel insights. His full bio can be found here.
I have to admit that I used to have a very weak password before I started reading more on the topic. I was even using the same password on multiple websites although I kind of knew that specialists were recommending otherwise.
The idea that we are supposed to use unique, strong passwords on every single website is always in the back of our mind. But, somehow, we end up ignoring this piece of valuable information, and we stick to our easy-to-remember password.
So, how are we to remember a unique password for each website, social media account, and other platforms that we visit?
It sounds quite difficult, but fortunately, there’s a very simple solution to this problem – using a password manager. A password manager is a user-friendly platform where we can store our username and password for all the social media accounts and websites that we use.
It will also log us in automatically and encrypt each of our passwords in order to protect our accounts. There are many different password-managing websites on the market, and the best way to choose one is by checking some online review website.
Why Is Reusing A Password The Worst Idea!
Any security specialist will warn us against reusing our passwords. Password reuse can seriously compromise our security, especially since password leaks have become such a widespread issue. According to Troy Hunt, more than 80% of CashCrate subscribers were using compromised passwords (passwords that are too simple or that have already been leaked).
When a password is compromised, hackers can easily gain access to our email address, our social media accounts, our online banking accounts, and even our credit cards. By using the same password on every website, a single hacking attack can grant hackers access to all accounts.
For example, if someone finds out your Facebook password, they use it to access your PayPal account and transfer funds to their own accounts.
The best way to prevent being affected by password leaks is to use unique passwords that are strong, unpredictable and contains letters, numbers, and symbols. So, in order to remember all the passwords and keep track of the accounts, we should use password managers.
How Does Using a Password Manager Help Internet Users?
High-quality password managers can take a load off any Internet user’s mind. Not having to remember a long list of passwords is extremely liberating, especially for internet aficionados, who have at least one account on each social media platform.
Password managers automatically fill in the login forms, making it so much easier for you to access your accounts. You won’t have to remember your username and password, as the password manager will do it for you. Additionally, when you create a new profile or account on a website, the password manager will automatically generate a 100% secure password that will be extremely difficult for hackers to crack.
In order to be considered safe, a password must have at least 12 characters, must include a combination of capital and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols, is not a dictionary word or a combination of words, is not a name, and does not rely on predictable substitutions (replacing a letter with a number, ex: H0use instead of house).
How to Start Using a Password Manager?
The first and most important decision that you will have to make before setting up your password manager is choosing a good master password. The master password will be the ‘skeleton key’ for all your accounts, so it is extremely important to formulate a strong and complex combination of numbers, letters, and symbols.
It is a good idea to write the master password down somewhere, on a physical piece of paper that is kept in a safe place. If you are really serious about protecting the password and if the stakes are high, you can even go as far as storing it in a vault.
This password can be changed at a later time, but only if you remember the original one. So, choosing an unpredictable master password is crucial to protecting your password database.
The second step is installing the password manager app and changing your unsafe passwords to secure ones. Most password management apps will offer a special feature that notifies users about their duplicate or weak passwords. Some apps will even allow subscribers to store other kinds of sensitive data in their database, such as secure notes, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.
It is worth mentioning that password management apps help users prevent phishing attempts by recognizing illegitimate websites. Password managers can differentiate between legitimate websites and illegitimate ones, so, if you are currently on a website and your login info is not being filled in automatically, you are probably dealing with a phishing website.
In conclusion, I found that password management apps are extremely efficient as they help me keep track of our accounts and profiles. Without these helpful apps, I would have to remember a long list of passwords or use predictable passwords and risk getting my information stolen.
If you care about your privacy and you want to ensure that your credit card number and other personal information is safe, make sure you use password encryption software as well.
