When you create an account on a website or service you usually have to create a password, you have to think of a password you will easily remember. A couple days pass and you need to log back in to that account, little behold you have forgotten the password, typical! This is indeed an issue that almost every human comes across and nine times out of ten you have to reset your password access your email follow the link and then enter a new password only to repeat the process!
Fortunately there are now many ways you can securely save your password meaning you no longer have to scratch your head trying to remember the password you set and end up locking yourself out of your own account, that’s not much fun at all! I just wish I had listened to my own advice years ago, I would of saved a lot of time!
Anyway let’s cut to the chase and show you some ways that you can easily store your password, the main priority when saving password its security, no one should be able to see or gain access to the passwords without your permission.
We don’t advise you save your password on your browser and here’s why!
The majority of people will save their passwords on their browser such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox just to name a couple of the larger browsers. Usually you will see a picture like the one presented below:
This picture shows an account being saved in to Firefox, the dialog box on all browsers are relatively similar, but we do not advise you click “Save” instead below we will be outlining some alternative options that will ensure a more secure and safe way to save your password.
There is a very basic explanation to why we would not advise you saving your password to your browser and here is why; saving passwords to your browser can be convenient and can save a lot of time. However, hackers create viruses that specifically target browsers such as FireFox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and are created to steal the database of passwords directly from your PC without you knowing. The most concerning part is the passwords are not encrypted by the browsers. This means that the hacker may start using your accounts straight away, how scary!
Check out some of the options we have outlined below that could save your accounts from being compromised.
Option 1 – LastPass
LastPass is by far our favourite, it’s FREE its light and its incredibly easy to use and familiarise yourself with. Simply download the software, run the installer and away you go. From then on when you create an account rather than the typical Firefox or Google chrome (or whatever browser your using) prompting you to save the password with them, it now offers the option to save it to last pass.
The passwords them self are stored in a cloud therefor if a hacker gains access to your computer they will not be able to steal your passwords as they are held on your LastPass account, unless you have been REALLY silly and saved your LastPass credentials to your browser, you really shouldn’t have any issues.
Option 2 – KeePass
KeePass is similar to LastPass however Keepass operates on your PC and will encrypt them locally on your machine. Unlike Lastpass that is stored in the cloud. KeePass has been around for sometime, in fact since 2003. They have built up a solid reputation however we feel that the GUI (Graphical User Interface) could do with a makeover. That being said the program runs fine and does what it’s meant to and has a solid reputation to back it up.
Option 3 – The Old School Way!
Option three is a very reliable and safe way to save your passwords, let me explain further. The best way to save a password is always OFFLINE, this means no one can gain access through the internet to your list of precious passwords. It may not be most convenient but it is most definitely the most safest, considering the people around you can be trusted!
If your not a big fan of saving passwords online, whether its in the cloud or browser you may want to turn to a piece of A4 paper and jot them down with pen and paper. Just make sure that once your finished you store them in a secure location, you may also want to make sure that you store them in a location that is also fireproof as we all know paper isn’t best friends with fire.
Conclusion
At the end of the day the main priority is to keep your accounts safe from those scummy hackers, using any of the three options presented above will ensure a more safer environment for your accounts. You can also feel free to check out this list of other alternative options you have in terms of software, please see https://alternativeto.net/software/lastpass/.
Please leave a comment below if you think we may have missed an important one out, we would love to hear from you.
