Keeping passwords safe and at the same time affordable is a growing concern for any online service user. The average passwords active per person exceeds one hundred, which makes it difficult to manage so many passwords without endangering the security of personal data.
According to the ekonomist, this multiplicity of passwords leads many users to opt for simplistic solutions that compromise the safety of their digital accounts, increasing the likelihood of computer attacks.
The challenge of multiple passwords
Experts recommend that each service or application has a different password. This rule, although fundamental to digital security, is difficult to comply with in practice. Changing passwords regularly and creating complex combinations makes the process tiring and confusing for most people. As the ekonomist states, these difficulties lead many to use weak or repeated passwords, exposing themselves to high risks.
In addition, when users use easy passwords to guess like birth dates or numerical sequences increase the hypotheses of breach of accounts. According to the same article, the average of one hundred active passwords makes their memorization impossible, generating avoidable vulnerabilities.
What is a password manager?
Password managers emerge as a practical solution to this growing problem. These software stores all user passwords in a safe place, allowing easy and quick access to any account without the need to decorate dozens of passwords.
According to the ekonomist, these programs also offer the function of automatically generating strong passwords with complex combinations of letters, numbers and symbols.
The use of these managers works through a “virtual safe” system where the user needs to memorize only a Master Password. Whenever it is necessary to access a website or application, the manager automatically fills in credentials, facilitating navigation and ensuring a high level of safety.
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Advantages and Risks Associated
In addition to the convenience of storing multiple passwords many of these programs issue alerts if any of the passwords are compromised suggesting their immediate replacement.
Another important functionality referred to by the ekonomist is the possibility of designating trusted people who can access passwords in emergency situations such as disabilities or death.
However, there is a risk although reduced from a computer attack to the password manager himself. If a hacker can access this system will have access to all user accounts.
To minimize this threat modern managers use advanced encryption systems and multifactor authentication. On the other hand, the fact that data is stored in the cloud can be a limitation for those who do not use this technology.
Market options: free and paid
There are password managers with free versions and paid each with specific features. As free versions are indicated for those looking for basic and effective protection while paid versions offer extra virtual private networks (VPN), Dark Web monitoring and secure file storage.
Among the paid managers stand out the Dashlane that integrates VPN protection and checks the security of passwords and Keeper that offers family packages and multifactor authentication.
In the free segment Bitwarden is very popular because it is open source and operating on various platforms while logmeon stands out for synchronization between systems and ease of use.
Thus choosing the ideal manager depends on the needs of each user but all help transform password management into a simpler and safer process as the ekonomist recommended.
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