How to Manage Your Internet Passwords

I am NOT a security expert (though I work with one!), but I’ve gotten hacked enough to know (1) you should NEVER use the same password for any site and (2) you need to regularly update those passwords.

But that’s a lot, isn’t it? Remembering all of the websites you have registered with? Hell, I even have troubling all the email address accounts I have.

On this Tech Tuesday, we’re going over two things: a password management tool and a website that tracks your email address in data leaks.

LastPass

If you don’t have LassPass, you really need it. It’s a freemium – you’re only allowed one device on the free plan, but the plans are inexpensive (there are two tiers, and both tiers are under $50/year). It’s worth it; I’ve been paying for it personally for years.

The greatest thing about LastPass – beside its encryption – is that passwords can be saved and used everywhere. Desktop, browser, phone, tablet.

This gives you license to actually CHANGE YOUR EFFING PASSWORD to something different and unique on each site. In fact, LastPass has a functionality where you can go through ALL of your weak/at-risk passwords and change them.

And, as you can see above, LastPass will tell you how many logins aren’t using 2-step authentication.

The tool also auto-generates passwords so you don’t have to think them up.

And because website password requirements are different, you can customize your passwords to include symbols and other character types.

Another feature is storage of payment cards and bank accounts. Meaning you can save bank card information within LastPass to use online. While no online repository is ever 100% hack-proof, the most dangerous thing about LastPass is that you’ll spend more having your cards in there. 😉

The last feature I’ll mention is the Notes section – I use this for passwords that don’t necessarily have a login, like your internet password. So that way, it’s behind a layer of encryption and you won’t lose it.

I purchased the Family version (which is the highest tier at ~$4/month for the year) so I can share passwords with my partner. I will say this is where LastPass lacks a bit – the way it “shares” passwords is through a shared folder, so instead of labeling those sites in a category (e.g., email, education, entertainment, dining, etc.), it goes to this catch-all. The organizer in me HATES it.

Have You Been Pwned?

You might be wondering what word I misspelled. It’s actually slang old enough to make the dictionary:

This site – have I been pwned? – tracks your email address (and phone number!) in web leaks.

You enter your addy, you get an email alert when your deets are found on the interwebs.

The site gives you best practices on how to fix it (which is generally CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD).

LastPass also has a monitoring tool. Looking at the information between the tools, they do have different information so it doesn’t hurt to use both.