What Are Password Managers and How Do They Work?

In most cases, people have two types of passwords:

1. One complex password that they use for all their needs.
2. Multiple weak passwords that are easy to remember (also easy to guess) that they use for their different applications.

None of these options are good enough to keep us safe in today’s digital world. With threat actors trying to steal our information, we are in a constant risk of being hacked.

The best way to stay secure online is to create a new, strong and unique password every time we sign up to service, this password should follow some standards like being at least 8 characters long, containing symbols and numbers, using Upper and lowercase letters, etc. and it shouldn’t be stored on a piece of paper or on post it notes. However, in reality that is not possible, or at least is very hard to achieve, that’s where password managers come into play, in this article we will discuss how they work and how they keep us safe.

What is a password manager?

Passwords managers are a software that generates a new and secure password for every app you sign up to and they save it in a secure vault where they can only be accessible by you when you try to login to that service the next time.

Password managers take away the headache of trying to remember every password you use or trying to storing it in a safe place. Here you will have to create a single complex and hard to guess password called the MASTER PASSWORD, which will allow you to access and manage your passwords that are generated by the manager. Make sure to also use two-factor authentication (like your biometrics, or an OTP (One Time Password) that will be sent to your phone to further secure the access to the password manager.

How does a password manager work?

• First, they use a strong algorithm to generate a password, which will contain lower and upper case letter, numbers and special characters. This will make the password really hard to guess or brute force.
• Second, they encrypt your password before it leaves your device (that’s called zero-knowledge?architecture) using secure encryption process like AES 256-bits.
• Third, they store these passwords in a secure vault. If you use a desktop based password manager, these passwords will be saved on you device, but if you lose these device you will also lose you passwords. However, if you use a cloud based manager, then they will be saved on the service providers servers and you can access them from anywhere.

Password Managers Pros:

• Strong, unique, and complex passwords are generated for you for every application, which will enhance your security and safety online.
• Password managers make it easy for you to access your account because they fill your login credentials automatically.
• You can access your account from any device if you use a cloud-based manager.
• You only have to remember one password, which is the MASTER PASSWORD.

Password Managers Cons:

• If the master manager is compromised, then all your account are taken as well. That’s why you have to create a strong one and also use two factor authentication.
• Some password managers may be hard to setup, especially if you have multiple passwords to import and organize.
• Free managers some lack some crucial safety features, which means you have to pay a subscription (which might be expensive) to be fully protected.
• They might not be fully compatible with some apps and websites.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, relying on either a single, complex password for everything or weak, easily guessed passwords leaves us vulnerable. Password managers provide a secure solution by generating and storing strong, unique passwords for each application, enhancing online security.

Made By : Karim Abdelkader Belhadj

#cybersecurity #security #password #passwordmanager #passwordmanagers #safety #onlinesafety