7 reasons to use a password manager

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

No more problems with logging into websites and lost records.

1. You will no longer need to remember passwords

Try to remember how many accounts you have in different Internet services. E-mail (or even more than one), cloud storage, social networks, streaming services… There is no way to list them all. Only people with really outstanding memory can keep so many logins and passwords in their heads.

Many users solve the problem simply: they create the same password for several services. But this creates a dangerous security hole, because if one account is hacked, the rest will suffer. And the data from the Have I Been Pwned website eloquently demonstrates how often information leaks occur even with the most reliable services.

With a password manager, you don't need to remember a ton of login information. The program will do everything for you. It will be enough to keep in mind only one master password, which encrypts the entire database. And this is much easier.

2. Your passwords will be complex and unique

All managers are equipped with built-in tools for generating unique codewords. They cannot be guessed using a dictionary because they are random sets of letters, numbers, and symbols. Naturally, this greatly improves safety. It can take a million or two years to find such a generated password - you can find out the exact number using the How Long to Hack my Password service.

In addition, it is very convenient to use the password generator: you do not need to rack your brains while writing a phrase that is easy to remember, but resistant to hacking. The program will come up with everything, write it down and, if necessary, substitute it in the required field for you. And no more duplicate codes.

3. Automatic login will save time

It takes a long time to enter authorization data manually. Especially if you didn't manage to get the right combination on the first try. This is annoying and time-consuming.

Password managers speed up logging into websites or mobile apps. They are equipped with an auto-login function and themselves substitute the appropriate username and password in the appropriate fields. No more manual dialing - convenient!

The function of automatic password entry is available in all modern browsers. But it has a couple of drawbacks. First, if you use Firefox on your computer and Chrome on your mobile phone, passwords will not sync between them. Secondly, if you are not alone at the computer, overly curious individuals can spy on your password, hidden by asterisks, using a special extension or digging into the settings.

So the burden of storing and automatically entering credentials can be shifted onto the shoulders of a password manager. And in the browser it is better to disable this function altogether.

4. Your passwords will be safe

Keeping them in a notebook on a table, on sticky stickers glued to a monitor, or in a simple text file is very unreasonable: anyone can spy on it.

A password manager is another matter. It stores data in an encrypted database that cannot be accessed without your master password, key file, or both. Mobile clients of managers allow opening the database by fingerprint, which saves time. Finally, many of them support two-factor authentication, which further increases the security of information.

So even if your file with passwords somehow ends up in the hands of an intruder, it will be absolutely useless. Of course, if your master password is "111" you won't envy you, but are you prudent enough not to set such a phrase?

5. You will be able to store different types of data

In the same Chrome or Firefox, you can only keep a bunch of username and password. But specialized managers can do much more.

For example, you can place passport data or information about bank cards in your password database. You can also attach any files to the recording that you want to securely save, such as SSH keys or photographs of documents. Or provide each entry with a detailed note explaining why you need this or that login or containing an answer to the question about resetting your password.

Add logins to the database not only for sites and Internet services, but also for mobile applications or computer games. In general, save any information that needs to be securely encrypted but is easily accessible to you.

6. You will have access to passwords from any platform

Every self-respecting service like KeePass, LastPass, 1Password has tons of clients for a wide variety of platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. In addition, they come with browser plugins for all tastes.

As a result, you can save the password in the manager when you create a new account in any service while sitting at your Windows desktop computer. Then log into the same account from your Android. And later, if you decide that the combination of symbols needs to be changed, you can do it from your tablet or laptop. Just set up sync base between all your devices, and they will always be at your fingertips.

7. Your passwords will be well organized

It is not very easy to find the required entry with authorization data in a simple text file, especially if there are many of them. And this is not to mention paper notebooks and stickers, where, for obvious reasons, there is not even a built-in search by symbols.

In the case of a password manager, there is no such problem. These programs are the dream of perfectionists who like to keep everything on the shelves. You can create folders and categories and sort your data however you like. For example, passwords from Steam and GOG could be put under Games, Spotify and Deezer under Music, and so on.

In addition, each post will be automatically provided with an icon of the corresponding site, so that it will become easier to see what you need purely visually. And finally, you will have at your fingertips a convenient text search in the database.