top of page
Writer's pictureAngus Stewart

Stop reusing passwords people!


It's something I tell people all the time. Reusing passwords is dangerous. It's not your bank or email account that will get hacked directly - they are difficult targets. But reusing your email password to buy a pair of socks at a small online shop is the danger. If the small retailer is hacked - an easy target - then the bad guys get hold of the password and email combination you have used and then try that against every service they can think of. BINGO, your email is compromised and then they can reset other passwords at will.


So how do you stop this from happening? How to remember all those passwords? Well, Apple has a very good password manager called Keychain already built-in to the Apple system. It works across iPhones, iPads, iMacs and Macbooks, automatically offering secure passwords and saving them in an encrypted form to iCloud. It works extremely well, although most Apple users ignore it or don't know it exists. If you want to learn about it, please get in touch


Windows users have choices, as both Chrome and Edge will remember passwords for you and synchronize these across devices. They both require you to be signed in to an account - either a Microsoft one for Edge or a Gmail one for Chrome. Edge has the err... edge here as it offers to fill in strong passwords for you - a service Chrome is lacking. I would therefore advise everyone to use Edge and sign in with a Microsoft account.


There are a few paid alternatives for those who need more features, like stored payment info. Lastpass, 1Password, and Dashlane are about the best, but be prepared to pay to get the full versions.


If this is something you need help with, please get in touch

0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page