As your passwords are the first line of defence at protecting your online accounts it is important that they are hard to crack. So your passwords need to be at least 12 characters long with a mixture of uppercase, lowercase, special characters and numbers and you need a different password for each account.

The problem is we are not good at remembering these secure passwords. This is where a password manager comes to our rescue. A password manager (or a web browser) can store all your passwords securely, so you don’t have to worry about remembering them. You only have to remember one master password to open your password manager.

Other benefits of a password manager

• Synchronise your passwords across your different devices, making it easier to log on, wherever you are, and whatever you’re using.

• Help spot fake websites, which will protect you from phishing attacks.

• Let you know if you’re re-using the same password across different accounts.

• Notify you if your password appears within a known data breach so you know if you need to change it.

• Work across platforms, so you could (for example) use a single password manager that would work for your smartphone and your desktop/laptop.

Most password managers will create a secure password for your new accounts. When you visit a site where you need to log in, the password manager automatically fills in your login name and password for you. Most password managers can also fill in your personal information, like name, address, and credit card number on web forms to save you time during account creation or checkout when making a purchase online. Some password managers can store your important documents or other credentials like safe codes and medical information in the vault, too.

Creating a master password

Your master password is needed to unlock your password manager and gain access to your passwords. If you forget your master password, you will be locked out of your password manager.

So how do you create a memorable password? Use a passphrase as your master password. Choose four to six words that are not related and use this as your master password. It will be easier to remember that random characters.

For example: Ponybeachsummerstrollfreedom. You can make up a story to help you remember these words, Pony was on the beach in the summer having a stroll and enjoying the freedom.

This is much easier to remember than a convention password: Ft67K&3%dX.

For security reasons please do not use the example given above as your master password.

Password Manager Options

There are two options for password managers, online or offline. They have advantages and disadvantages, and which one will be suitable will depends on your needs and the risk you are willing to accept for convenience.

Offline Password Managers

An offline password manager will be installed on your computer and will not connect to the Internet. You will copy/paste the password from the offline password manager to the website login fields. The advantage of an offline password manager is that it is more secure from online hacking as it is not accessible from the Internet by hackers. There is no fee to use the offline password manager. The disadvantage is that it is not as convenient as an online password manager.

I recommend KeePassXC as a trustworthy and secure offline password manager.

Online Password Managers

Online password managers are accessed through the company’s website and browser extensions. The advantage of online password managers is that it will automatically enter the password into the online account. It is easier to sync your password manager on all your devices. If you change a password in your password manager, it will change on all your devices that access the online password manager. The disadvantage of an online manager is all your passwords are stored on the company’s servers, so you need to trust that the company has good security to protect these from hackers and rogue employees. You will need to pay a monthly or yearly fee for the online password manager features.

I recommend ProtonPass as a trusty and secure online password manager. Proton has a good reputation as a privacy focused company with a range of privacy focused products aimed at the user that values their online privacy. Check out Proton’s website for tutorials on how to use their online password manager.