Most of us have a hard enough time keeping track of where we placed our wallet or keys let alone try to keep track of passwords. With the ever increasing risk of identity theft, personal and corporate security, as well as having your account hijacked, passwords are more critical than ever. But how do you manage them?
There are many free and paid for tools to manage passwords in a single database. Some advanced features such as sharing your username/password with other individuals, or automatically changing passwords are also enticing. The main point is to store your passwords in a secure method. NEVER STORE YOUR PASSWORD IN CLEAR TEXT, meaning in plain sight, easily read, etc.
It is highly recommended to update all of your passwords at least annually. Most corporation require end users to update their corporate password every 30-180 days. Most also require that the new password has not been repeated, and uses strong password characteristics (specials, numbers, uppers and lowers), with a minimum password length.
For me, I access hundreds of different systems across hundreds of clients, plus all of my personal login information. I prefer to use LastPass. With this tool, it automatically fills web forms for me, which is a huge time save. Also when I create a new username and password in a web form it automatically saves that information for me. I can also share specific information with other users, and monitor and audit that access. Another great tool is Keepass. Keepass is not as advanced, but it’s free and provides a single location to securely store all your passwords. On both systems, you only have to remember a single master password. This password would be very complex and would be the best password you could possibly create, plus this ideally is the last password you have to remember.
So weather you choose the paid for solution with advanced features, or just the simple password database, it’s well worth it. From here you only have to manage your master password. Keep those passwords safe and secure.
Danny McLean, PEI