Internet users, rejoice! LastPass, the darling of the password management world, announced at the beginning of November that it would be switching to a freemium model. Using LastPass was always free on mobile but required a subscription to sync logins and passwords across devices. Free or not, a password manager is increasingly seen as a necessary way to stay protected online, for individuals and businesses alike, as the number of cyberattacks only continues to increase in frequency. A password manager, along with decent antivirus software, is my must-have online safety feature. Here's why.
The Benefits of a Password Manager
Password managers are convenient security tools that store all of your logins and passwords in one secure spot. Your passwords are encrypted and can be accessed by using a master password you use to log in to the password management tool. Most password managers can generate strong, unique passwords for you and I'd encourage you to generate a master password that's difficult for hackers to guess. Just make sure you don't forget what it is and consider writing it down in a secure place!
I remember a time when I could use the same password, over and over again, for every website I visited. That's definitely not the case anymore—it's much more likely you'll get hacked if you use the same password for everything. If a hacker guesses it, he or she can wreak havoc on all of your accounts by stealing your personal data, posting inflammatory content, and more. To avoid this, use your password manager to generate unique, strong passwords for every website that requires a password. Better safe than sorry.
My Personal Recommendation
The password manager I use came with my antivirus package from Kaspersky. Kaspersky offers several antivirus packages, and each comes with a useful password manage—it's a fairly simple tool and extremely easy to use. There are five tabs within the password manager: Favorites (most frequently used accounts), Websites, Identities, Notes, and Applications. Just click on whichever tab you want to store information in and add it.
I use the Website tab the most often, and I love how user-friendly it is. It's not complicated at all! You can add a website by clicking on the plus sign (+) in the upper right-hand corner, then enter in the website name, your login information, and the password. The password is then stored in the app, which can sign you in to any other website through a secure browser when you're logged in to the password manager. Kaspersky's password manager also includes a feature that lets you "see" the password. An eye icon appears beside each password within the password manager and lets you see what the password is, and then hides it when you click it again. This can be useful to avoid prying eyes seeing your password. When using it on mobile, it automatically logs you out of the password manager whenever you leave the tab. This is both annoying and smart on their part!
All I wanted was a tool to let me store website logins and passwords. I preferred a tool without popup ads and was willing to pay for one. And in my opinion, buying antivirus software and getting a password manager along with it was a smart investment. Whichever password manager you decide to use, make sure to do extensive research on the tool itself, and ask yourself which features are important to you and how much you are willing to pay.