Do you really need a password manager ? If yes, what are the best? We will try to resolve these and other related questions clearly and directly. Because not always what works for one has to do it for the rest.
Password manager, what are they?
Password managers are applications capable of storing and organizing all your access codes to different services. To do this, and to facilitate your work, these keys are stored securely in what is known as a vault and protected by encryption. To access you will use a unique password.
As you may already be imagining, instead of having to learn different passwords you only have to worry about memorizing only one. Of course, that password to the vault of your password manager must continue to maintain the minimum advice to ensure that no one will be able to discover it easily. If you do, you will have an important problem, because you will get access to all of them and that implies the password to access your bank account, email, online stores, etc.
Therefore, knowing this the next question is whether they are really necessary or not . Here we will be honest, they are not necessary. Few applications are really essential, but it is true that password managers are highly recommended. Although everything will depend on the type of user you are and the number of passwords you need to remember.
Password manager: yes or no?
As we say, a password manager brings numerous advantages. The first and fundamental is to reduce everything to remember a single password . From there, depending on the type of gestures and their options, you will be able to access important data that you want to keep secure and encrypted such as passwords of the bank, serial numbers of applications, users and passwords of online services, etc. Even some of these managers give you the option of adding safe notes.
Despite this, not everyone needs a password manager. You are probably wondering how I can say something like that. It’s easy, the key is what kind of user you are and what your real needs are. Not everyone needs to remember access to hundreds of services .
Many users have enough remembering access passwords to their bank to operate online, email account and some social platform. These, without the need for password managers, can have secure keys using simple rules and tricks, or take advantage of tools available in your operating system or daily use applications.
For example, if you use macOS you have the Keychain . This integrates with a multitude of applications, including Safari, and allows you to generate strong passwords and store them so you don’t need to memorize them. When you have to use them, simply enter your system password and that’s it. If you do not use Mac but do use Chrome as a browser, it also includes a service to store your passwords securely.
Still, there are simple rules and tips that help you generate and memorize strong passwords . But first what you should already know and what you should not do when creating a new password:
- Nothing to use correlative numbers type 123456 or generic words
- Nothing to use personal information and easy to find out
- Using numbers as vowels, this ceased to be effective h4c3 y4 4ñ0s.
- None of our username in the password
- Do not share or repeat between key services
Ok, so how do we create a secure password that is easy to remember? There are different methods. To start you have the possibility of using a phrase that you know you will never forget and choose the first letters of each word to generate the password. To give you more security, you can toggle between upper and lower case.
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If you add any symbol at any time you still add more complexity and security against brute force attacks. And finally, if you want to make it easier for you to remember them for certain services, you could add some type of identifier. For example, an FB if it is for Facebook or any other that reminds you of it, for example, you could be ZUCK.
As you can see, there are many options to create strong passwords and remember them easily. It is a matter of finding a pattern or method that is easy for you to use in your day to day. As long as, as we said, don’t be one of those users who need to remember the passwords and access users to hundreds or thousands of internet services. If so, a manager makes it very easy for you. Therefore, below you have the best options.
The best password managers
There are many password managers, but this is not about listing each and every one. So we tell you what they are right now, in the middle of 2020, the most attractive.
1Password
It is a classic and one of the applications with more authority in this of password management. With versions for different platforms and online service, its value is not in doubt. In addition, they recently announced that they would put efforts to give even more professional solutions. So the particular user will benefit from even higher levels. The only “negative” point is that it is a subscription service. But security comes at a price, right?
Lastpass
Very similar to the previous one, LastPass is a great password manager and some other sensitive data that you want to have safely. It also offers a secure password generator, browser extensions and applications for iOS and Android. There is also a paid version, with premium features , but the free version gives more options to the older user who does not need large functions if they care about their security and that of their passwords.
KeePass
Open source password manager and completely free, that’s KeePass. Being an open source project there are no specific apps defined but you can use different “clients” to take advantage of their full potential. In the download section you can choose the one that best suits you according to the operating system of your device or computer. Although it may be best to start directly with KeeWeb .
Dashlane
For advanced users Dashlane is interesting because it offers very complete advanced options. There you can save data such as your bank cards, notes with encryption and some other elements. And also, when you are going to use this data in certain connections or moments, it offers a connection through its own VPN .
As a password manager it is very good, and if it does not require a large number of keys to save, the free version offers up to 50 passwords maximum . If you fall short, then there is the paid version .