Probably everyone has registered accounts in social networks, e-mail or other entertainment resources, and the majority most likely have more than one account. How to protect yourself and your personal information from scammers who trade on the network when using various resources. In this article, I propose to consider various options for storing passwords while maintaining their uniqueness.

Rules for creating the right passwords

Of course, this is not a panacea that after a good password you will not be hacked or stolen, but still the protection will be slightly higher. Perhaps, now all sites have implemented a check for password complexity and you will not be able to set a password that is too simple. Although it is much easier to remember. A simple, low-strength password usually consists of the animal’s name, username, or date of birth. But there are also combined cases. In this scenario, it will be quite easy for attackers to pick up a password, since it will be possible to use information about the user or a simple brute force method, but spending a little more time. I also met very light passwords containing a set of numbers 123456 or a set of letters qwerty.

When you have multiple accounts, remembering even a simple password can be difficult. At the same time, user names (login / login) are also added here, which also needs to be remembered. Now let’s imagine if one of your passwords is compromised and fell into the hands of intruders, while access to your other social networks, mailboxes and other sites will be completely open.

Complex password – consists of a set of letters of different case, numbers and symbols. The length of the password must be at least 8 characters. All this complicates the selection of a password as much as possible, but entering such a password on gadgets is not always convenient. No method of creating a password provides a 100% guarantee of uniqueness and protection against hacking. Now imagine that for each account we will use our own unique password, then the question arises how to remember them all. Keeping it in mind is not an option, because even the simplest ones can be forgotten. And besides passwords, you also need to remember logins.

Therefore, I propose to consider a small rating of options for storing passwords and other confidential data.

Storage on external or local media

I often met a set of characters written on the user’s monitor or keyboard, which by itself indicated its use as some kind of data. This is not the best way to store a password, as it is always in plain sight of a person who might just be passing by. Although this method will save you from online hacking.

Write down the password on a piece of paper or in a notepad, I also think it is not the best way. Firstly, a completely stranger can get access to the notebook. Secondly, the notebook may be lost or the information on its leaves may be damaged. And thirdly, because of the crooked underline, you can incorrectly parse the password character set. In addition to the above, it should be borne in mind that the password is always entered manually, which also leaves its imprints with possible errors.

If you figured out the paper, then storing passwords on an external digital medium or computer can be even worse.

• an external drive or computer may break;
• physical access of third parties to the computer in your absence is not excluded;
• online access to network information is also not excluded.

Remembering confidential information in the Internet browser

In most browsers, the ability to save the username / password in the program’s memory is pre-installed. And while entering the username, it automatically substitutes the full name and enters the password closed with asterisks or dots. Some browsers and sites also support the ability to view the password hidden under the asterisks.

I use the Chrome browser, so I’ll show you how it looks on it. To view the passwords used, delete or replace them, you need to go to the appropriate settings, and for this, enter chrome://settings/passwords in the search box, or go to the appropriate menu located in Settings / autofill / passwords.

Saving passwords in the browser seems to be secure, but anyone who stays alone with your computer can get them. But there is an opinion that during an update or clearing the cache, they can fly off and you will lose everything.

Of the advantages of using account storage in the browser, I can highlight the fact that after synchronization they will be on all devices connected to the account, and this is mega convenient when you own a smartphone, tablet, TV and other gadgets.

Cloud storage

In principle, this method is almost the same as storing passwords on a local disk of a personal computer, but the trick is to place a separate file on a network cloud storage. With this placement, it is always available to the user when accessing the Internet. There are plenty of cloud storage services and, for example, I use Google Drive and Yandex Disk. What is the most convenient and relevant for me.

The placed file does not take up much space, and therefore it will not interfere with placing large volumes of other files on the same storage. But, perhaps, it is worth choosing free storage rates, otherwise you can be left without it after the end of the subscription.

After placing the file, be sure to make changes to the access parameters. So, you should definitely disable public access, in order to avoid accidentally getting the file to other users. Well, the next point is to protect access to cloud storage itself and use a complex password.

Third Party Software Password Managers

In fact, I am not advocating the use of third-party password managers, because their structure is not at all known. And it’s not a fact that your passwords are not transferred to the scammers’ servers immediately after entering. But still there are proven options with good reviews.

Password managers allow you to save your personal credentials in an encrypted form, which means they are protected in some way from hacking.

The principle of operation of these programs is to install a third-party program on a personal computer or a remote server, where the encrypted database will be located. Access can be obtained both in local mode and using mobile applications when accessed from a smartphone. But do not forget that access to the program itself requires a master password, and if it is lost, the entire database will be lost.

Despite their simplicity, many password storage programs can generate new passwords, create synchronization between different devices, perform multi-factor authentication, and search the password database.

Of the most common and used, I can point to LastPass and KeeWeb. Each has its own advantages and hidden features.

Finally

• the password must be complex, namely, it must contain letters, numbers and special characters;
• always use unique passwords for different accounts, sites and applications;
• do not store passwords on paper media, items placed at the workplace and on mobile media that are not protected from external unauthorized access;
• when saving passwords on cloud storage, do not forget to use the most complex password to access it;
• a password manager is not a panacea and not always the right solution, since you still need the same master password.

What method of storing passwords do you use?