How do you manage passwords?

[Redlorryyellowduck]

I must admit I'm guilty of using the same few passwords for everything.
There must be maybe 100 things in my life that need passwords, and I really should up the security I know.
I presently have a little book but there must be a better way?

Lastpass. You can link the app to your browser on different devices and it's super simple to use. There's a freebie version, but I pay for the pro one with more functions - it's only about £30 a year. It takes a little bit of effort to set up, but once it's done it's a breeze to keep using and you can set long, complex passwords for things without having to worry about remembering them.

I have a system that incorporates the name of each website.

Significant numberwebsitesignificant number

For example:

1979Amazon2015

Then I change the website name. I will always remember it, but it's specific to each website.

Bitwarden password manager. You can use it on multiple devices for free. You can login with finger I'd if you have it set up on your device. I don't know any of my passwords for things as they are all a 21 character long string.

@Spaghettio

I have a system that incorporates the name of each website.

Significant numberwebsitesignificant number

For example:

1979Amazon2015

Then I change the website name. I will always remember it, but it's specific to each website.

This is great. Im stealing!

You're welcome! I think I actually read it on here and it's been amazing, and I feel much safer online now.

@Spaghettio

You're welcome! I think I actually read it on here and it's been amazing, and I feel much safer online now.

A hacker would get that so easily, sorry to piss on your chips. One of my old ones was: ‘Elephant2013’ (animal and year changed). Yet I still got hacked.

I use a passport manager, currently bitwarden but have used last pass in the past.

Android app OI Safe, backed up to an external drive.

I'd recommend against the just changing the site name system, makes it easy for someone to guess all your passwords if one of the sites ever ends up in a password leak.

I use a password app similar to last pass but also have a system similar to that one. You have to add in mix of capitals and special characters I think to make it a bit more secure and not have things as your year of birth etc as the significant bits.

I use Lastpass. Similar to @SunshineThelma I also upgraded to the paid version. The bonus is I can share passwords for household/school accounts with DH so he has no excuse not to be dealing with the bills! My workplace, a large organisation who has hacker attacks regularly, recently advised us to use Lastpass too.

@Spaghettio

I have a system that incorporates the name of each website.

Significant numberwebsitesignificant number

For example:

1979Amazon2015

Then I change the website name. I will always remember it, but it's specific to each website.

This is best way…but to have maybe 3-4 different numbers so that you keep very secure things like banking on separate numbers so if someone does hack your system on less secure stuff it won’t give them the keys to other secure sites. I wouldn’t put full website name in either…I’d use a shorthand code system Another good way is the 3 random words…so I use 3 words to describe the site rather then actual site name ( in that sense they need to be meaningful enough and unique enough that you know the answer! )

And finally, on sites that I don’t go into often, and especially things I purchase form, I use a complete random numbers and letters. I don’t even try to remember it. Next time I log on I simply request “forgotten password” and reset…in others words I use 1 time passwords. It only takes a few more minutes.

1Password. I bought the family version so we can easily share passwords for things like Netflix. You can organize passwords into folders and subfolders. I also store things like credit card info so I can easily fill them in on websites.

It works across all my devices.

Keychain on my iPhone, but if I didn’t have that I’d use one of the many password manager apps around rather than any kind of system. If I were a hacked and had someone’s Amazon password that was say 123amazon456. I’d be straight off eBay with 123ebay456 etc.

I do something similar to the above, but mine is much much more cryptic.

@Spaghettio

I have a system that incorporates the name of each website.

Significant numberwebsitesignificant number

For example:

1979Amazon2015

Then I change the website name. I will always remember it, but it's specific to each website.

Many sites require special characters. But you can't build a special character into your basic system because not every site allows them.

Some financial institutions require 3 elements to log-in:

• username
• password
• selected characters from a memorable phase

How does a password manager deal with this?

@Spaghettio

You're welcome! I think I actually read it on here and it's been amazing, and I feel much safer online now.

Just keyed an example of this into a password security checker and it estimates it would cracked within 9 million years

My own rotation of password sit at around the three weeks to crack mark. No idea if that's good.

@eightlivesdown

Some financial institutions require 3 elements to log-in:

• username
• password
• selected characters from a memorable phase

How does a password manager deal with this?

They store all the data. When you go to log in you open the password manager to check the memorable phrase and enter the characters manually.

For them that use Apps are you not worried about what happens if the device you store them in is stolen.

I use something I would buy from the site and part of the nearest/ local shop postcode or area code phone number . If there is no postcode or phone number ( amazon etc )I used my old works post code or street number

So sky would be
Sponzrt-19

Morrisons would be
Breskd-9

Apple keychain and it makes up a password for me

For them that use Apps are you not worried about what happens if the device you store them in is stolen.
In terms of losing access no, I would just login on my computer and security wise they wouldn't be able to access the app on my phone as it has idle timeout, so they'd need the master password, even if they got past my phone pin.

I use the auto-password generator on my devices, they're all Apple. If I set an account or set up a password on my laptop, it will automatically save to my phone, and viceversa. They're all super long and a random mix of letters, numbers and special characters.

I can see all the passwords in my phone's settings, but my fingerprint is required for that, so it would be difficult to access for a stranger. I do worry about losing my phone and suddenly not having access to the passwords myself, and I have thought about writing them all down and keeping them somewhere safe at home. Might do that soon.

I've memorised all the really important ones - emails, PayPal, work login, banks - and have amazon passwords written down in my phone's notes. If somebody tries to order something off Amazon with the saved card, I have to approve the charge on my banking app first, so again it's unlikely someone would manage to spend hundreds of my money that way.

@NewYearCalavicci

For them that use Apps are you not worried about what happens if the device you store them in is stolen.

I use something I would buy from the site and part of the nearest/ local shop postcode or area code phone number . If there is no postcode or phone number ( amazon etc )I used my old works post code or street number

So sky would be
Sponzrt-19

Morrisons would be
Breskd-9

Worried about what exactly?

@Ugali

For them that use Apps are you not worried about what happens if the device you store them in is stolen. In terms of losing access no, I would just login on my computer and security wise they wouldn't be able to access the app on my phone as it has idle timeout, so they'd need the master password, even if they got past my phone pin.

This worries me. Not losing access to the sites as I could log-in from another device, but having everything on a smartphone and losing it. The phone pin isn't much protection, so someone just needs to get into the password manager, which I assume is an app on the phone.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, because if you don't record passwords in a password manager you need to record them somewhere else which is also vulnerable.