Is your password “11111”, “password”, “1234” or “password123”? Change your password right now. If your password is simple, or if you reuse your password it is time to change how you maintain your passwords.
More and more of what we do is happening online, which means we are creating accounts with passwords. Some websites don’t require a secure password, while others will ask for an uppercase letter, a number, and a symbol. And while “Password123!” meets all the criteria, it is also easy to guess making your information easier to hack through.
Note: Even if a service permits you to use a simple password, it’s best to stay with a strong one.
But what can you do? It is difficult and unrealistic to memorize every single password. Writing it down is not only unsafe, but also unreliable. It can be misplaced or lost, we may spill coffee on it, or forget that we changed one of our passwords two months ago. Even though it is on paper, it is still a lot to keep stored in your head.
I encourage you to consider subscribing to a password manager service that can help you keep your passwords and logins safe. Many password managers will let you create an account for free. You only need to memorize ONE password and that’s the one to get into the password manager. Just don’t use an easy to guess password. After all, if you’re going to keep your passwords in one place, it should be as secure as you can make it.
Consumer Reports recommends the following password managers.
- 1Password
- Keeper
- Bitwarden
- Lastpass
- Dashlane
- Norton360
- McAfee
To view the ratings and costs of services visit us in the library to view Consumer Reports magazine.
For more about password managers and tips go to the consumer reports website. Or visit CRs Digital Lab to learn more about other digital products.