In recent months, what is perhaps the largest cache of stolen emails and passwords in hacking history was posted online. Bundled together in a collection called, "Collection #1," are over 770 million emails, 21 million passwords, and over one billion unique combinations of the two; an 87 GB package of stolen credentials.
Nobody likes the hassle of using passwords, but they are a necessity of today’s technology. While some have tried to replace them with fingerprints and face-scanning technology, neither are perfect and many still resort back to the trusty (but frustrating) password. How do you make them better? You need a password manager.
If you're unfamiliar, password managers such as KeePass, 1Password, or LastPass offer a simple service: they will store all your bothersome passwords, even generate new ones, and then insert them into whatever service you're logging into using browser add-ons and apps. Think of a password manager like a diary containing your passwords, locked by a master key that only you know. They're similar to the password tools already built into your browser that ask you if you want to save your password for a site so you don't have to enter it again. Password managers, however, were built for this specific purpose and include a suite of tools that let you access the same library of passwords across your devices.
Password managers don’t just store your passwords. They also help you generate and save strong, unique passwords when you sign up to new accounts. That means whenever you go to a website or app you can pull up your password manager, copy your password, paste it into the login box, and you’re in.
Simply put: using a password manager such as KeePass, 1Password, or LastPass is far better for your overall security than not using one.