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Is a password list a good idea?

We make lists all the time. Some are easy to remember, like your favorite foods, songs or movies. But there’s one list with which we struggle to remember the entries – the password list.

The average employee has 50 to nearly 100 services that require passwords or credentials. This leads us to solve the problem in different ways. Some folks re-use passwords, which is not a good idea (one brute force hack would expose dozens of valuable accounts). Some of us write them down, but that leaves valuable data in one location, which someone could easily steal. Others even use a story-based pattern to create a password for each service that makes it easy for them to recall.

What to do?

Most people can remember a few passwords but struggle to memorize more than a few dozen at a time. Password managers are like the ultimate cheat code – you don’t have to worry about forgetting, and don’t have to worry about someone finding your list.

They are exactly as they sound; apps that manage your passwords so you don’t have to. With a password manager, all you have to do is enter a fresh login, add or randomly generate a password and then save. From that point on, it’s the manager’s sole job to remember, protect and encrypt your credentials.

There’s more?

These apps can do much more than secure your passwords. They allow you to access your passwords whenever, wherever, across any device. And if you need to share your account with someone (like the utility bill you manage together with your roommate or a work-related account that more than one person has access to), they give you that option.

Importantly, they make sure the person you’re sharing your credentials with will never actually see the information because you really shouldn’t share passwords. In short, password managers are easy to use and much, much safer for creating, storing and using passwords!

Any catches?

There is a catch, but it’s not a bad one. You just have to memorize one single password. The password manager does all the rest.