Password Manager Apps: Why You Could Be a âHackerâs Dreamâ Without One - Aspira Financial
Cloud computing and web-based apps have undoubtedly improved business efficiency. But once you and your team start using various online apps, one aspect quickly becomes inefficient (not to mention downright annoying): having to repeatedly enter usernames and passwords to log in.
Itâs bad enough having to enter a multitude of login credentials when you first open the apps each morning. But many apps automatically log you out if you havenât been using them for a few minutes. And while itâs a nice security feature, it means you have to repeat the entire process whenever you take a breather.
Wouldnât it be great if a âmaster controlâ app could automatically enter your username and password whenever an app asked for them? Of course, youâd have to log into the master control app first, and that login process would have to be very secure. But just imagine how much time and frustration it could save.
The good news is that, to quote an all-too-familiar phrase, âThereâs an app for thatâ. In fact, there are quite a few password manager apps available.
And you really should be using one.
Why you shouldnât enter your passwords any other way
âBut I donât need a password manager app,â you say. âI use the same username and password for all my logins, so itâs pretty easy to remember.â
Congratulations. You have become whatâs known in the online world as âa hackerâs dreamâ.
Why? Because once a hacker figures out your username and password on one site, they can use the same username and password to access every other site you use. And before you assume they couldnât possibly know the other online sites you use, they can run a program that tries your username and password on hundredsâif not thousandsâof sites in a matter of minutes. Itâs not a question of whether theyâll find those other sites. Itâs only a question of when.
âBut itâs more convenient doing it this way,â you might say.
Sure it is. For now. But you may think differently when every online system you useâonline banking, email, social media, etc.âhas been compromised.
Even if you discover the security breach straight away, it can still take monthsâif not yearsâto recover. You could lose your savings, your business, or even your identity.
But thereâs no point creating different usernames and passwords for each site if youâre just going to put them on sticky notes. Whether itâs a physical one on your whiteboard or an electronic one on your computer, theyâre still incredibly easy to find and use without your knowledge.
How about storing them in a note-taking app such as Evernote or OneNote? Without any form of encryption, these apps arenât much better than the sticky note app on your computer.
And for goodness sake, donât email them to yourself so you can use a keyword search to find them. Not only will they be stored without any encryption, but your email can also easily be intercepted and read.
So, unless you have perfect memory and can type incredibly fast, the only real solution to having unique, secure passwords is to use a password manager app.
Here are six reasons you should use a password manager app.
Youâll no longer be âa hackerâs dreamâ.
You can use more secure passwords.
With password managers, you only need to remember the username and password for the app. Then, whenever you access a secure website, it will look up the username and password you created for the site (which are securely stored online) and enter them automatically. Because you donât need to remember them all you can use a different username and password for each site, which is far more secure than using the same one for them all.
And if someone gets access to one of the sites you use, they still wonât be able to access any others.
The most secure passwords use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. But when you have to remember them (and type them in over and over again), itâs tempting to use simple passwords that are less secure. With a password manager, you can make them as long and complex as you want because itâs the password manager app that remembers them all and types them in for you. It can even create new passwords automatically, such as âSp?45AqG&&l6p#BzKâ.
These random, nonsensical passwords are far more secure than the names of your pets, family members, favorite movie, or other commonly used passwords. And the chances of hackers guessing your password, even with the software they use to generate them automatically, is extremely low.
All you need to do is choose a strong password for your password manager.
Your login details will be encrypted.
You can use two-factor authentication for even better security.
If youâre worried whoever created the password manager will have access to all your usernames and passwords, relax. All of your information is encrypted (scrambled), and only the strong password you use to log in can decrypt (descramble) that information. Itâs the same level of security used with Internet banking, and a lot more secure than sticky notes.
Letâs say someone works out the username and password you use for a website. That means they can log onto the site, enter your details and theyâre in, right? Not if youâve set up two-factor authentication. Instead, theyâll be asked to provide another piece of information only you can provide. It could be a random code to your mobile number via SMS, or one only your phone can generate. It may even ask for your fingerprint via your smartphone.
And without that other bit of information, they wonât get access.
Two-factor authentication can be used not only on websites but also on the password manager itself. And while some people find the extra step inconvenient, itâs an added layer of security thatâs well worth considering.
You can share passwords more securely.
Letâs say you need to give a staff member or contractor access to financial or other sensitive data (a common scenario when working with freelancers and remote workers). One option would be to give them a username and password, which they would enter to access the information. But whatâs stopping them from writing them on a sticky note, or emailing the details to themselves (or worse, someone else)? With a password manager, you can set them up with a password that is never revealed to them. It will log them in, but they never see what it is, and therefore canât share it or even write it down.
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