Technology has provided us with a number of online services that are constantly growing, this means that more and more of us are creating logins and passwords.
Whether it's to use a social network, make a bank payment, or make purchases, basically everything we use today needs a password. And with so many accesses, it's hard to memorize all the information.
That's why password managers are a great solution. With them, you can store all your logins and passwords in one place. However, the question arises: are they really safe?
After all, all your information will be in one place and, if it is accessed, the damage will be immense.
We'll cover a little more about password managers and whether they really guarantee the security of your data. Read on to find out more.
What are password managers?
Every day, we come across numerous news stories about personal data leaks in various online services, which causes a certain fear that intrusions will put the security of our data at risk.
Much of this fear is that cybercriminals will access our accounts, whose access credentials are stored in their password manager.
That's why it's important that you understand what these managers are and how they work.
This is a tool designed to store login data in a secure, encrypted space.
The manager is usually an application or browser extension, which suggests passwords considered strong for online registrations and stores this information. To access this data, you must have a master password.
That is, you register a single password to access the manager, and this tool generates a new and unique password for each application or account you use. That way, all your logins will be secure, making it harder for criminals to gain access.
The goal is for people to memorize a single password and not have to store dozens of accesses that are often lost or forgotten.
With this, we can define that a password manager is a kind of virtual vault that allows you to store access credentials to online accounts.
The advanced encryption offered by these tools makes them the best alternative when it comes to storing passwords.
That's because writing down and storing your access at home, or anywhere, can put the security of your data at risk.
Why use this feature?
Cyberattacks are increasing day by day, and criminals are constantly trying to hack into accounts, scam, and extort their victims. That's why it's important to protect yourself.
By making it harder for these cybercriminals to access your accounts, you can protect your data and that of the company you work for. After all, today we use our cell phones for many things, so we need to pay attention.
Any data leak, no matter how small, can put your company at risk and generate a series of problems. So protect yourself.
Another important point of managers is that they are a practical tool, as each site has its rules and items that each password must contain. In this way, storing all this information in memory or, worse, in some notepad is not safe at all.
But is it safe?
Well, maybe that's everyone's concern, after all, trusting your access to an app and hoping it won't be hacked is something that really causes distrust. Even more so with so much news about invasions.
To help you understand how secure this tool is, we'll look at the data breach that happened in 2015 with LastPass, a major password manager company.
The platform suffered an attack, and some authentications were improperly accessed. However, users' vaults continued to be protected because they are not stored in the same place.
As a result, the information is saved with hardware protection, which makes it difficult and in many cases prevents the encryption from being broken.
Saw? Password managers are much more secure than your notepad that gets lost in the drawer and can be accessed by anyone.
But to choose your manager, it is important to pay attention to some issues and always update the software to the new version that is available. Be aware that these updates make the system more secure from attacks.
Another advantage of this tool is that it is able to help you protect yourself from phishing attempts.
That's because the manager only autofills your login information on sites you've already allowed before, ensuring that your data isn't used on malicious sites.
This way, if you click on a link that appears to be from an official website and the URL is different from the one already registered in your manager, your password will not be filled in, which prevents your data from being exposed on a fake website.
How to use a manager?
Now that you know how this tool works and that it's a safe alternative to store your logins and passwords, let's explain a little better how to use this feature.
Search
First of all, it is important that you research the subject and see which tool is best for your need. Know that there are some types of managers, so it is important to know them.
When choosing your manager, it is essential that you search for it in your phone's app store, such as the Play Store and the Apple Store. No clicking on links from unknown websites. Search for the manager's website.
Sign
Once you've chosen your manager, it's time to sign up. In this process, it is important to choose the “master password”, the one we mentioned at the beginning of the text and which allows access to logins.
To ensure security, it is important that you choose a strong password. No 1,2,3 or your mom's birthday.
Remember, if someone has access to your manager, they have all your information at hand. There is no point in using this tool that encrypts passwords and having access that can be vulnerable.
Review your passwords
Once registered, it is important that you authorize the manager to save your login data. This allows that, whenever you log in to a website, your accesses are automatically entered.
Take the opportunity to reset your passwords and generate unique and different accesses for each registration.
Install on other security devices
To have access to this information elsewhere, in case something happens, it is important that you install the manager on other devices. In this way, it is possible to access them in case of theft or loss of these devices.
One tip to increase the security of these managers is to lock them after a period of inactivity. This adjustment allows your data to be more secure.
Phishx and data protection
As we have seen, keeping access safe is important for everyone, both in personal and professional life. After all, a leak puts everyone's safety at risk.
Having secure and encrypted access is important in all environments, especially in the workplace.
PhishX is an ecosystem focused on information security awareness. We have a platform that helps companies educate their employees about the importance of cybersecurity.
In addition, we provide various content such as booklets, videos and training that present the risks that weak passwords can pose to security, in addition to several other important topics on the subject.
Our platform also allows phishing campaigns and simulations, which prepare people so that they know how to identify these attacks.
Cybersecurity needs to be a part of everyone's life. Get in touch with our sales team and learn how PhishX can help you protect yourself from cyberattacks.
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