The easy options — using the same password each time or writing them down on paper or in a spreadsheet — aren’t exactly the most secure. In fact, security experts strongly warn against these options as they leave you vulnerable to online theft.
So what’s a web surfer to do? If you’ve got more than a dozen services, you’re not going to remember all of them. It’s time to look into a password manager — and if you’re a cheapskate like me, you want a free one.
Let’s agree, from here on in, to stop using our dog’s name and birth date for our single password. Here are 10 free options for doing that:
Some notes on passwords:
Never give out your master password if you use a password manager. Be sure you never forget it. Don’t write passwords on a little piece of paper and stick it in your drawer. If it gets stolen, you only have yourself to blame. Password managers may not be safe on a shared computer — it is probably best to only install them on a computer that only you use. Using common information for your password is not secure — such as your birthday, initials, kids’ birthdays, names, etc. And no, “password” is not a safe password. Using the same password for everything is a bad idea, because once that password is discovered, a thief has access to all your accounts.
