How to Use a Password Manager
Overview
This document will walk you through the key points of a password manager and why and how you should use one.
What You Need to Know About Password Managers
What is a Password Manager?
The vast majority of us either use weak passwords or reuse passwords on multiple accounts. This makes us more susceptible to crimes such as identity theft. A password manager will generate, retrieve, and keep track of super-long, crazy-random passwords across countless accounts for you, while also protecting all your vital online info—not only passwords but PINs, credit-card numbers and their three-digit CVV codes, answers to security questions, and more—with encryption so strong that it might take a hacker between decades and forever to crack.
https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security/everything-you-need-to-know-about-password-managers/
Why is a Password Manager Secure?
Going it alone can mean reusing the same password again and again — a risky approach, at best. If a hacker gains access to just one of your accounts, your entire digital life could be compromised.
With a password manager, you won’t need to rely on simple, weak passwords that are easy for you to remember (and can be easy for hackers to guess).
Password managers offer a password-generator feature that can create strong passwords to help keep your accounts more secure. And many password managers feature two-factor authentication as an added layer of security.
Many password managers also use encryption to protect your passwords and other information stored in your account. And many limit access to your data by encrypting and decrypting it on your device and not on their servers, so your master password is available only to you — your password manager can’t access it.
https://www.creditkarma.com/id-theft/i/are-password-managers-safe/
How to Download and Install a Password Manager
First you will need to pick a password. There are several good, free, password managers out there. At I.T. Services we use LastPass and love it! Remember, all these password managers also have smart phone applications so you can stay secure on all of your devices.
https://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/the-best-password-manager-1325845
Most password managers set up as a browser extension. With a manager like LastPass, you create an account and your master password first then download the browser extension and you're on your way! You will need a second email and a cell phone to set up as backup.
https://lastpass.com/create-account.php
How to Put a Password into a Password Manager
Once you have a password manager set up, you can go log into any one of your accounts (Netflix, Amazon, Bank, etc.) and it will prompt you to save your password into your password manager. If you want to add a password on your own, open your password manager and click "add" (may display as a plus icon) and add your username and password for the new site.
Video on how to use LastPass:
Contact us:
- Call 859-858-5177 or campus extension 2177
- Click to visit us online at http://www.asbury.edu/its
- Or Visit us in the Kinlaw Library, room 131