What are they and are they safe to use?

Always forgetting your passwords?  You’re not alone.  In April of this year, there was a huge spike in the search term ‘Password Managers’.  But are they worth your money? In this post, we look at password managers: what are they and are they safe to use?

What are Password Managers?

With the average person having around 80 passwords, it’s no wonder that we have a tendency to forget them. And that’s where password managers come in. Password managers keep all your passwords safe in one vault, so you don’t need to remember them all. It also illuminates the risks that come with writing them all down or using the same weak password across several accounts.

They require you to have one ‘master’ password that you log into your account and gain access to all of your other passwords with.  Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be able to save all of your passwords for various accounts, so that you don’t have to remember them all in future. You can save passwords in various ways: 

  • by manually entering them
  • by allowing the password manager to save it automatically as you log in to a site
  • by importing them from other password managers

You can also use password managers to create random, high-strength passwords for your online accounts if your existing passwords aren’t up to scratch.

Are Password Managers safe to use?

As long as you use a well established, reputable provider, password managers are safe to use.  They’re built by serious professionals who ensure that your passwords are securely encrypted, so no one else will be able to find out what they are.  

Security is high with password managers.  Often, they will require two-step authentication, to ensure that it really is you who is trying to sign in.

Can they be hacked?

As with most software, there are vulnerabilities associated with password managers which means that there is a slight possibility that they may get hacked.  However, the risk of this is relatively low and hackers would have to launch a fairly sophisticated attack in order for it to be successful.

What are the benefits of using a Password Manager?

There are several  benefits associated with using a password manager, including:

  • Reduced risk of data breaches
  • You only have to remember one password
  • You can use high-strength passwords that are different for each account
  • Manage shared business accounts without the cybersecurity risks of giving out passwords

If used correctly, password managers can play a vital role in your wider cybersecurity strategy.  

A few things organizations can do to protect themselves from cyber threats

Whether you’re working alone or seeking the services of IT support in London, you need to increase cyber security at your workplace. You can do this in the following ways:

• Educate employees
With cyber security, it’s important for your employees to actively apply the action plans. However, if they do this, they need to be educated about cyber crime, the attacks they may experience and what they can do to stop this from happening.

• Structure and safe-guard your data
The most-important thing to do is for you to identify what data is important for your organisation. That way you can re-structure data and add additional levels of protection. Backups and recovery plans must be in place to also ensure safety in case of a cyber attack. Therefore, this exercise will help you identify if there is any data theft.

• Draft a response plan
Set up a cyber security team in your organization. Ask them to come up with a flexible plan and apply this to keep your data safe. You can also seek input from your IT support.

• Equip yourself with new-age skills
Finally, upgrade your cyber security skill sets by having someone personally trained. Remember that just as hacking technology becomes more tricky, so does anti-hacking security technology. We would advise you to consult an IT company for the latest technology.

About IT-MSP

IT-MSP was founded in 2017 to provide London’s small & medium businesses with end-to-end IT services, right from purchasing and installing hardware to providing Mac, Windows & Linux support, cloud solutions, and data backup. We support our clients using proven, high-quality systems and security practices that blue-chip companies take for granted.

We consistently achieve excellent client satisfaction thanks to a process-driven approach, concise documentation and our team of friendly and highly trained London based engineers.

Youssef Baiza
Director

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