Without a doubt, passwords are the main security barrier to prevent intruders from entering our accounts. It is what we use in social networks, email, to encrypt devices… Now, do we use good keys? In this article we are going to talk about why memorizing passwords is a mistake and we are going to give some tips on what you should do to maximize security.
If you remember your passwords, they are not good
Remembering your passwords for Facebook, Gmail or any online account is not a good idea. Why do we say that? The ideal thing in a password is that it is totally random, that it has letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and other symbols such as “$”, “&”, “-“, etc. All this always mixed and you should never use words or digits that are related to you. Therefore, remember a key that kind is complicated.
Also, if you use a password for each case, which is advisable, it will be even more difficult for you to remember all of them. Think of a good password that is at least 12 characters long and looks like: 3j)s%-Yn89a/”h. Hard to remember, right? Even more so if you are going to have to create dozens of similar passwords for everything you use on the Internet on a daily basis.
The problem is that most users do not use this type of password. Basically what they do is use a password they can memorize easily. For example, use their name, date of birth, DNI… Things that, in short, they will easily remember. But of course, that also makes it easier for a possible intruder to enter the accounts.
We can even say that keys as simple as “123456”, “11111” and the like are still the most used. Of course, it is increasingly difficult to use them, since many online services require you to put a password that has a mixture of letters, numbers and sometimes also symbols.
Use key managers, the ideal for security
So how can you use complex passwords that are difficult to memorize without having to remember them? That’s where they come into play. password managers. We have explained that if you memorize your password it is because it is not good. It must be totally random and unique and, in addition, change it from time to time.
An key manager what it does is manage all those passwords that you create. There are even those that have the function of generating them following certain guidelines and thus achieving the greatest possible protection. This will allow you to have all your keys safely there and you can use them on different devices.
There are password managers that work online and others offline. This means that you will be able to synchronize the keys between devices on the Internet and you will always have them available or, on the contrary, only store them locally on your computer or mobile. There are even options for browser extensions, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
What password managers to use? The truth is that there is a very wide range of possibilities. Some alternatives that work very well are 1Password, LastPass either Dashlane. However, it is a matter of choosing one that suits what you are looking for in order to manage your keys safely. There are open source password managers.
