Passing up: Why you can’t afford to pass on password protection

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Cara Curtis* provides a guide for how to securely store and remember all your passwords using a password manager.

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If you, like millions of other people, use the same password for just about every application you use, I’m sorry to break it to you, but one of these days, you’ll probably get hacked, if you haven’t already.

Although you probably imagine a hacker as a hooded geek breaking into accounts by guessing people’s lucky numbers, that’s not how it works.

Hackers specifically target vulnerable sites and access their customer database.

We’ve produced a guide on how to securely store and remember all your passwords.

We’re talking about password managers, which automatically store and remember them for you.

These handy tools work across your devices and there’s plenty to choose from, paid or free.

The free option: LastPass

LastPass is a free password manager that generates strong passwords and safely stores them in its vault.

It’s available on desktop and smart devices running Android and iOS.

It’s worth noting that in 2015, LastPass was hacked.

The password management site ensured a “vast majority” of users were safe, although personal data was accessed.

But keep in mind that this was four years ago and there’s been no recorded suspicious activity on the tool since.

So, here’s how to get started on desktop:

• Head to LastPass’s download page and install the extension for your browser.
• Once installation is complete, you’ll see a new icon on your browser toolbar. Click on this and select Create an account now.
• Type in your email address and create a “Master password”, which must be strong since it’s the only code you’ll have to remember to access all of your stored passwords later on. Don’t forget this code; we suggest keeping it safe somewhere.

How to save all your passwords together

Once you’ve created your LastPass account, it’s time to save all your passwords:

• Head to a site that requires a login, for example, Facebook.
• Enter your credentials, but before hitting “Sign in” click the LastPass icon inside the password field, then click “Save credentials for this site”.
• As you visit more sites, your LastPass account will gradually fill with login details and when you revisit these sites, LastPass will automatically fill in the details and log you in securely.

How to generate hacker-proof passwords

LastPass gives you the option to test and fix your weak passwords.

Here’s how to do this:

• In your desktop toolbar, click on the LastPass icon > My Vault.
• Click the Security Challenge tab.
• Then, click Show My Score.
• When prompted, enter your Master Password.
• Wait a few minutes while LastPass analyses all of your passwords.

Once completed, LastPass will give a score for each password and will prompt you to: Change Compromised Password, Change Weak Passwords, Change Reused Passwords, and Change Old Passwords.

For the passwords that LastPass advises to change, click the Auto-Change button and the tool will automatically change and save the new password.

Using LastPass on your smartphone

LastPass is available on iOS and Android for free.

Here’s how to manage your passwords on your phone:

• Search for “LastPass” on the app store, Android or iOS.
• Create an account using an email address and a strong “Master Password”. Make sure your password is strong since this is the only code you’ll have to remember.
• To start adding passwords, click on Add at the top right-hand side of your phone screen.
• Select Password, which is the first option, then tap on one of the suggested sites or search your own.

You can also import all your saved passwords from your desktop LastPass account:

• Login to LastPass and access your Vault.
• Click More Options in the left menu, then click Advanced.
• Now, select Import.
• Use the drop-down menu to select a source from the list of supported sources to import from, then your passwords will be sent to your device.

LastPass also gives you the option to upgrade your account for $24 a year.

Going premium will allow you to share passwords, Wi-Fi logins, and membership features with others.

It also gives you better security with multifactor authentication options priority support.

1Password

Sometimes it pays to have a premium paid account: take 1Password for example.

1Password offers a 30-day free trial, then you can decide which type of cover you want.

Now it’s time to create an account using an email address and a secure “Master password”.

Creating an account takes a little while as you’ll need to verify your email, and download your personal PDF file with all your info.

This file includes a QR code that you’ll need to add any apps to your account.

How to use 1Password on desktop

• Download the software for your desktop type.
• Sign into your account.
• Click Scan Account Details.
• Scan the Setup QR Code in your personal PDF file you downloaded earlier.
• You can now download the browser extension.

How to start saving passwords on 1Password

Once you’ve set up your account and chosen your preferred subscription type, it’s time to start backing up all your passwords.

Every time you visit a site that requires login authentication, save the details to 1Password.

Here’s how to do this:

• When you arrive at a site, log in as normal using your email and password.
• Then, 1Password will automatically prompt you to save these details. Simply click Save Login.
• Be sure to create stronger passwords as you go.

As you visit more sites, your 1Password account will gradually fill with login details and when you revisit these sites, it will automatically fill in the details and log you in securely.

Using 1Password on your mobile

As mentioned, 1Password is also available on iOS and Android smart devices for free — although you have to have a paid subscription to unlock all its features.

Here’s how to manage your passwords via your phone:

• Download the 1Password app. It’s available on Android and iOS.
• In your phone’s settings, give permission to 1Password to automatically fill out passwords when prompted. On iOS, this is found in Settings > Passwords & Accounts >AutoFill Passwords > then tick 1Password. On Android, you can give permission to 1Password through Settings > Autofill > tap 1Password to enable autofill.

Saving passwords on your phone is pretty similar to the steps on desktop, and all passwords sync across devices once changes are made.

Here’s how to save credentials using your mobile:

• Enter your login details on a site that requires this.
• Once logged in, you can start saving login details by heading to the Categories tab.
• Then, select the + button at the top-right hand side of the screen. Then tap Login, which is the first option.
• Now you can select any of the sites listed including your YouTube profile or Gmail account. Or you can manually search a site using the search bar.
• Once you’ve gone through all your site logins, the app will not automatically log you in.

Now you have your passwords saved, you can rest easy knowing you’ll only have to remember one password to access all your login details forever.

* Cara Curtis is a writer at The Next Web in London.

This article first appeared at thenextweb.com.