It’s common knowledge that most users use and reuse weak passwords across multiple accounts. Sometimes a company-wide comprehensive password policy isn’t enough. According to a recent report published by Verizon in 2019, over 80% of all confirmed hacking related data breaches involved the use of stolen credentials. While this statistic is startling, there are steps you can take to increase your protection and lock your accounts. Utilizing a password manager is an easy way to simplify the security of your password protected accounts.
Did you know that using a password manager is one of the top safety practices recommended by security experts? Password managers generate long, unique, and extremely difficult-to-guess passwords for all your accounts. Your passwords are then stored in a digital vault, which is protected by military-grade encryption. The only way to access your vault is to have one master password that unlocks it.
Using a password manager helps eliminate reusing passwords for different websites and boosts your online security!
Here are 5 reasons you should use a password manager:
Only Remember One Password
That’s right, you only need to remember one complex password to access your vault. However, this one password should be extremely difficult to crack. Your password should use all recommended complexity requirements, including using a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
Create Stronger Passwords
A password generator randomly generates a strong, complex password for you. Password managers can also use browser extensions and mobile apps, allowing you to quickly create and store unique passwords.
Sign into Accounts Faster
The browser extension will automatically populate the username and password fields when you log in to a website, removing the need to search for credentials!
Store More Than Passwords
You can safely store other information like credit card numbers, account, and routing numbers. Any information stored in a password manager is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, which is the most secure encryption method!
Easily Share Accounts
Password managers allow you to easily and safely share credentials with coworkers, family and friends.
While a password manager is a great addition to your security arsenal, it isn’t a fix for every threat. We recommend these security precautions combined with using a password manager:
- Only use trusted networks and devices.
- Keep a reputable anti-virus active and up to date on your workstation.
- Enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA) wherever available.
- Set lock screens on all your devices and lock your device if you leave it unattended.
