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Original poster

Password management

35 replies

Harryo · 02/04/2021 10:53

The amount of different passwords I have is ridiculous, I’m constantly forgetting. How do you all manage yours?

OP posts:
HilaryBriss · 02/04/2021 11:04

I use a password manager (Bitwarden). That stores all my passwords for me and I only have to remember the master password.

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 11:15

Lastpass here.

afinethingindeed · 02/04/2021 11:25

I use KeePass.

EmpressWitchDoesntBurn · 02/04/2021 11:26

LastPass here too. It means I can come up with long random passwords & don’t need to know what they are.

BIoodyStupidJohnson · 02/04/2021 11:27

Dashlane here

pinkandstripey · 02/04/2021 11:29

My whole life is stored in the iPhone app The Vault, in combination with apple keychain.

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 11:31

I think they're all much of a muchness, really. From memory Keepass can be all stored locally, which might appeal to the really paranoid. Lastpass is stored "in the cloud" which means you can access passwords from anywhere if you need to. (Very handy when away from home).

One thing I have noticed (and taken advantage of these past few years) is a lot of sites offering 2FA. So even if your password safe gets stolen/hacked/leaked/lost any miscreant will have an extra hurdle before they can access your sites.

Like a PP I love the Lastpass "generate password" feature. It means you can happily have a unique garbage password for every site (currently over 500 in my case Hmm). It's also a quick way to gauge a companies attitude to security.

TheChosenTwo · 02/04/2021 11:43

I write mine down Grin

Elisheva · 02/04/2021 11:43

I use a code to make a password, based on the website name. So for example you take the first two letters of a website, add a secret word, then put the letters again at the end and add a number based on the first letter of the website.
So Mumsnet might be - MuCh1psMu13.
Netmums would be - NeCh1psNe14

It means you can always work out what your password is, even if you forget.

Original poster
Harryo · 02/04/2021 12:10

Thanks guys.

@Elisheva i do a similar thing, but my nhs passwords especially keep asking you to change them every few months and you can’t have anything too similar or used within the last year or some such. So irritating.

OP posts:
DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 15:14

@Harryo

Thanks guys.

@Elisheva i do a similar thing, but my nhs passwords especially keep asking you to change them every few months and you can’t have anything too similar or used within the last year or some such. So irritating.

Ah, the law of diminishing returns on password hygiene. Make it too onerous, and rather than lock down your security, you blow it wide open as everyone starts writing passwords down. With hilarious results !
yeOldeTrout · 02/04/2021 15:36

I did have a 'website name' system. That mostly works, but then some websites have their own rules. Like must have
1 lc letter
1 UC letter
1 number
1 of specific special characters -- and spec-chars allowed on some websites aren't same as allowed on others.

On top of that, there's the very common "You can't choose new password that is same as any password you have used in the last 3 years" websites. fucking Skype

So basically I constantly have to go back to 'forgot my password' systems & use my email to get a login. I have started typing in nonsense passwords on the really rarely used ones that have all the above problems because I'll always have to rely on the 'forgot password' link anyway

I haven't braved a LastPass type system, yet. Would need it on ... 3 private devices, and not allowed to install something like LastPass on any of the work devices, so I'd need another way to log in to many accounts using those devices -- and yes there are work-related reasons I need to use my work-issued devices to login to private accounts.

Monitoring thread though, because I also feel like situation is on verge of being out of control. 5 email addresses to manage, too. Sigh.

FlyingBurrito · 02/04/2021 15:39

@Elisheva

I use a code to make a password, based on the website name. So for example you take the first two letters of a website, add a secret word, then put the letters again at the end and add a number based on the first letter of the website. So Mumsnet might be - MuCh1psMu13. Netmums would be - NeCh1psNe14

It means you can always work out what your password is, even if you forget.

I like that, I might start using that system for new websites I need passwords for.
Harpydragon · 02/04/2021 15:41

Lastpass for me too. I couldn't function with out it!

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 15:52

I haven't braved a LastPass type system, yet. Would need it on ... 3 private devices, and not allowed to install something like LastPass on any of the work devices, so I'd need another way to log in to many accounts using those devices -- and yes there are work-related reasons I need to use my work-issued devices to login to private accounts.

One of the nice things about Lastpass is you don't need to "install" it anywhere. They have a browser plug-in, which makes things 10x easier. But if you can't use that, then you can go to their website, log in, and access all your passwords online. (It's not quite that simple obviously). Horses for courses, your mileage may vary etc etc.

EventuallyDistracted · 02/04/2021 16:01

Lastpass for me too, it works pretty smoothly on the whole but some websites work better with it than others especially when changing your password.

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 16:06

of course ...

Password management
supadupapupascupa · 02/04/2021 16:08

We subscribe to 1Password. It's worth every penny!

WeAllHaveWings · 02/04/2021 16:14

I have a Microsoft OneNote notebook with all my passwords/banks account numbers/cards numbers and various other personal stuff etc all on different pages.

The Notebook is secured with a password.

Also have one in work for all my work passwords etc.

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 16:20

Personally I think if you're doing passwords right, you need a plug-in/assistant to enter them into web pages for you. The idea of a single document with passwords in it that have to be copy and pasted (I won't even consider typing them in by hand anymore) is already 11 years out of date.

Of course things aren't helped by every man + dog wanting you to "create an account" with them. And you need to bear in mind that you have no idea what they are up to once you hit "enter".

GU24Mum · 02/04/2021 16:27

I remember a very few important ones like internet banking and write the rest down in a book. I know you're not supposed to but I've got Mac and non-Mac devices and can't work out how to switch so that they know the passwords from a manager. I'm sure that the risk of passwords is online fraud not someone burgling the house and finding my special book without me realising someone had been in.

camsue · 02/04/2021 16:29

I share your frustration at the number of NHS systems that require different passwords that must be changed regularly. I am a heavy user of IT password reset services!

DGRossetti · 02/04/2021 16:38

@camsue

I share your frustration at the number of NHS systems that require different passwords that must be changed regularly. I am a heavy user of IT password reset services!
Better than using the same password for everything. If one site gets "hacked" (we'll leave the fact of storing password unsecured for another thread) then scammers will have a nice collection of email addresses (commonly used as Login IDs) and passwords with which to start trying to crack.

I would be disappointed if more enterprising scammers didn't keep a list of email addresses they have harvested to see if they can match with the latest cracked database.

CityCommuter · 02/04/2021 17:04

Is it possible for a password manager website / app to get hacked or are they actually un-hackable?

EventuallyDistracted · 02/04/2021 17:09

I have Mac and non-Mac devices and Lastpass works seamlessly on them all.