How to protect and remember all your passwords

These days we are required to have so many different logins that its hard to keep track of them all.

The most commonly used strategy for people to fill passwords is to use the same one or two for all websites, or to use the same one with a number at the end (Im looking at you, number ‘1’)

Unfortunately this is a very dangerous practice, as it makes accounts incredibly easy to hack.

This leaves personal and financial information, and our ‘online identities’ extremely vulnerable.

I see user passwords every day, and, unfortunately, most of them are not secure. This is a problem, as it puts users at risk for their online activities.

The top 10 hacked passwords, according to Eset (a well known Online Security company), are:

1. ‘123456’
2. ‘password’
3. ‘welcome’
4. ‘ninja’
5. ‘abc123’
6. ‘123456789’
7. ‘12345678’
8. ‘sunshine’
9. ‘princess’
10. ‘qwerty’

Online Passwords: Best practice

The best way to generate a secure online password:

1. Use a combination of upper and lower case characters
2. Do not use any complete ‘words’
3. Ensure your passwords are at least 8 characters long
4. *Important* use a different password for *every* site you use

The problem

While the first three criteria are relatively easy to apply, the fourth one poses a real problem for most computer users.

I have seen, many times, when working onsite, people keeping a ‘list’ or a ‘notebook’ next to their PC with all of their login and password information for various websites. While this does pose a solution to the problem of remembering them all, its an incredibly risky strategy.

A solution: Lastpass

Lastpass is a service which has risen to prominence in recent years offering an excellent method for password generation and protection. Lastpass works as a ‘browser plugin’ (It sits in your web browser while you are on the net) and offers (a) unique password generation for every site, and, (b) a means of storing and cataloguing all of the passwords.

The great thing about this system is that its only necessary to remember one password, to access the service. After that, it does all the work.

Features:

One master password

Automatic form filling

One-click login

Secure data protection

Synchronise across devices (IE, work, home, PC, MAC, Mobile Phone) so that all devices can access secure login information

Lastpass is a great way to make your online experience more secure.

For more information, see

https://lastpass.com/features_free.php