In this age of Internet, password plays a crucial, as you need one on almost every site. There are so many different sites and applications where you have to sign in using a login id and password, such as online banking, email account and others. A password that usually contains just a few alphabets, numbers and special symbols is like a lock. If this lock is a small and weak one, it can easily be broken and you can become a victim of identity theft. Therefore, it is very important for you not just to use a strong password but also to make sure no third party gets access to the same. Following are some proven tips for better password management.

Use Different Passwords for Different Accounts

One of the worst mistakes that people often make is that they use a single, easy-to-remember password everywhere, such as 123456 and so on. Using date of birth, SSN and other such crucial information is also common. Such passwords are very weak and can be cracked easily. If you are using the same password everywhere and if the hacker succeeds in cracking your password at one site, they can easily log in to your accounts on other sites and applications. Therefore, you should not just use different passwords on different accounts, but your password must also be strong and secure. A strong password is a long one and contains upper and lower case alphabets, numbers and special symbols in a complex order that is almost impossible for anyone to crack just by guesswork.

Keep A Secure Database Of Login Ids And Passwords

If you are using long, complex passwords, it might even be difficult for you also to memorize them. Different passwords for different accounts only add to your trouble. But since both the steps are crucial for password management, you must find out a way to solve this problem. A simple solution that you may think of is to prepare a manual list of all login ids and passwords on a notebook and keep it in a safe place. Using an Excel sheet is not recommended at all because if something goes wrong with your PC (such as, hard drive crash), you may lose this crucial data. In fact, even keeping a notebook is not a very safe idea because a third party access to this information can lead you to big trouble. The best solution is to use a password management software program. There are many good password managers available out there that come with features like one-click generation of strong unique passwords, maintaining the database of login ids and passwords without requiring any manual effort, one click log ins using auto fill plug-ins of all major Internet browsers and an array of other such things.

Last, but not the least, most sites ask you to answer certain security questions which are used to recover your password in case you forget it. If you are using password management software, there is no question of forgetting your password, but identity thieves may still try to crack your password by guessing the answers to your security questions. Therefore, even though you are using a password manager, you still need to be extra careful, especially regarding the password recovery options that often vary from one site to another. Most password managers allow you to store such additional details also, such as the email you are using for password recovery and the answers to your security questions.

Steven White is an IT expert who writes for Free Password Manager blog, a site providing information on Best Password Managers, Password Management Tips, Advice, Issues, Password Manager Types, Managing Strong Passwords etc.

Steven White is an IT expert who writes for Free Password Manager blog, a site providing information on Best Password Managers, Password Manager Reviews, Password Manager Reviews, Password Management Tips, Password Issues, Advice and so on. http://www.freepasswordmanager.com/

Author Bio: Steven White is an IT expert who writes for Free Password Manager blog, a site providing information on Best Password Managers, Password Management Tips, Advice, Issues, Password Manager Types, Managing Strong Passwords etc.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: password manager, password management tool, password manager software, password management