Password Management

One of the ways passwords can be utilized is having the same password for every account. I highly recommend not using this technique. If one of your accounts is compromised the bad guys always try the victim password with other account first.

Second, writing them down on a piece of paper or notebook. This is a better idea but is still not recommended. When writing them down if not written clearly it can lead to problems. Some individuals will than guess what the password maybe and if typed incorrectly a password reset will then have to be done. This can be frustrating, time consuming, and notes tend to get cluttered. Plus, when writing them down the passwords tend not to be very complex which is a problem in itself.

Passwords should be at least 11 (eleven) or 12 (twelve) characters long. They should include an upper and a lower-case letter, numbers, and a symbol. It is important to not use whole words in your password. This technique can make the password weak.

Another technique I have seen used and again is not recommended is having your passwords kept in a note or a contact on user’s smart phone. This would have the same issues as the notebook. The password maybe able to be read easier but passwords tend to be weak because they would have to be typed onto other sources such as a computer or tablet and long complex passwords are just no fun to type.

One of the best ways to save passwords is to create a file that can be accessed by your computer. I would use a USB-C flash drive to save a document, spreadsheet, text file, that can be accessed when passwords are needed. This flash drive can also be accessed from a phone or tablet that has a USB-C port. If your device is newer than 3 years it should have this port.

With this little technique you can keep your passwords, user names, addresses, credit card information, and any other confidential information that is regularly needed to login to most secure websites. Links to these various sites can be saved on the flash drive as well. If the file is saved in a format that can be seen on not only on your computer but on your phone and tablet as well.

To heighten security the flash drive can be removed from the device and saved in a safe place. Pro tip, make sure you do regular backups for that unexpected situation and most drives can be encrypted so if the drive is lost no one can read your private stuff.

Lastly, and I think this is the best for the majority of the tech users out there and that is a good password manager. One that I have seen when working with different clients is Dashlane. This software or app can be used with Apple, Microsoft, iOS (iPhone) and Android phones (Samsung, LG, TCL, etc.). One account can be used on all of your devices.

There is a monthly charge for this service but if simplicity is your concern, then this is it. I would recommend going to their website and see for yourself the benefits and will they work for you.

There are more password managers out there and they are hundreds of times more secure than using the password manager in your browser no matter the platform.