Image from KeePass.info, (used under the Fair Use Act)
Alright, so as you can probably tell by the title I am going to recommend that you use a password manager. So if you do not know, a password manager is a program (or part of a program) that remembers your passwords for you; and usually also has the ability to generate passwords for you as well. In addition, it usually is password protected itself that way there is one more step for somebody who gains access of your device before they can access your passwords (in contrast to a word document or the like).
I have done a lot of searching in the past for password managers, and the best (free) one I found is KeePass. I have been using for over a year now, and it has been an extremely useful tool.
The benefits of KeePass include:
Consolidation All of your passwords are in one file, meaning you have to remember one password (that is preferably complex) and you can then access every password you have stored. Just make sure to keep a backup (consider Dropbox/Gdrive/Onedrive – especially since the file will be encrypted).
Organization You can keep all of your password entries organized.
Strong Password Generation You are able to generate really complex passwords that are not vulnerable to brute force or a dictionary attack, so not only do you not need to remember your passwords, but they are actually much stronger too.
Mobile Support Access you passwords on any device (cloud storage has more uses than just backups).
Encryption Just because somebody gets a copy of you password database does not mean they have your passwords – this is especially useful with cloud storage (this does not mean you are invulnerable, remember, key-loggers and cameras exist). This is a clear benefit over password managers in browsers since anybody who gains access to your device can access all your browser passwords.
So, how do I get KeePass?
Have I convinced you yet? If so, you can simply download KeePass from https://keepass.info/ (don’t worry, I am not affiliated with them in any way). It’s pretty self explanatory from there on, but there are plenty of decent tutorials across the web if you get stuck.
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So, I hope you found this useful. Though maybe not for everyone, I personally have benefited a ton from using password managers.
Find them useful or have your own recommendations? I’d love to hear from you.
