For the 2025 Specops Weak Password Report, researchers analyzed round 1.089 billion stolen passwords and located that essentially the most generally breached passwords consisted of eight characters.
Alarmingly, out of the one billion compromised passwords, virtually 230 million can be thought-about complicated. This implies that they had a minimal of eight characters, a capital letter, a quantity, and a particular character.
This exhibits how superior hacking methods have change into in recent times, reinforcing the necessity for a safe and dependable password administration service.
Password managers are designed to eradicate weak passwords and make it a lot tougher for attackers to compromise credentials. On this article, we focus on 5 the explanation why you must use a password supervisor.
What’s a password supervisor?
A password supervisor is software program that shops passwords, usernames, and different login data in an encrypted vault. They are often hosted on the cloud or on-prem and may cater to each particular person customers and organizations alike.
Examples of password supervisor suppliers embody Bitwarden, 1Password, Keeper, Dashlane, LastPass, and NordPass. For a extra detailed information, try our full Password Supervisor Cheat Sheet that dives into password managers in-depth.
Whereas this all sounds neat and nifty, chances are you’ll be asking, “Why not simply use the trusty pen and paper?” to retailer all of your passwords.
Properly, listed here are 5 the explanation why a password supervisor is unquestionably price contemplating.
5 the explanation why you want a password supervisor
1. Your passwords are too easy
That is the largest cause, bar none. For those who’re utilizing passwords which you could simply bear in mind (similar to password, password123, happyhappyjoyjoy, and so on.), you’re in danger. Why? Easy passwords are simpler to crack. With the proper instruments (and sufficient horsepower), a hacker can crack these easy passwords in seconds or minutes. Due to this, you need to ensure that the passwords you utilize are exhausting (if not not possible) to recollect.
An excellent rule of thumb is that for those who can simply bear in mind a password, it’s most likely straightforward to crack. The tougher that password is to recollect, the tougher it’s to crack. So whenever you use such tough passwords, you want a vault to accommodate them. That’s the place a password supervisor comes into play.
2. Password managers embody random password mills
Talking of sophisticated passwords, you shouldn’t attempt to provide you with sophisticated passwords by yourself, otherwise you’ll wind up with variations in your traditional theme. As an alternative, you want a password supervisor that features a random password generator to create very sophisticated passwords. Most password managers, similar to Bitwarden, will let you configure how sophisticated the password is. With these instruments, you may generate passwords which can be 20 random characters lengthy and even unpronounceable, random phrases. Make use of those instruments, and your passwords might be very sophisticated and, subsequently, robust.
3. You solely want to recollect one password
With a password supervisor, you solely want to recollect one password — the one used to realize entry to your saved passwords. That is referred to as the Grasp Password.
With this in place, you don’t have to fret about remembering all these new and extremely complicated passwords generated by the supervisor. Open the managing software, sort your Grasp Password and find the password you want. The one caveat to that is to ensure your vault password isn’t easy. It doesn’t should be overly complicated, simply not apparent.
4. The numbers are in opposition to you
What number of accounts do you have got which require a password? Tens? A whole lot? The extra accounts you have got, the extra probably it’s that the numbers are in opposition to you. Due to this, you most likely use the identical password for all the things, which is a HUGE no no. You could use totally different passwords for each account. With that many various passwords, how are you going to recollect them? You’re not (particularly if these passwords are sophisticated). That’s one other large cause to make use of a password supervisor.
That’s one other large cause to make use of a password supervisor, as these instruments are designed to retailer a whole lot of passwords and logins with ease. Bear in mind cause 3? Just one password requires remembering!
5. Passwords will all the time be on the prepared with gadget syncing
Some password managers will let you sync your password database throughout your entire gadgets. With this function, you may entry your passwords in your desktop, your laptop computer, and your cellular gadgets. This fashion, you all the time have your passwords at hand. For those who decide to make use of this function, be sure to have your password database encrypted with a robust password. The very last thing you want is for a nasty actor to intercept your database and crack it by way of brute power.
Bonus cause: It’s the clever factor to do
Sure, utilizing a password supervisor does add a step or two to the log-in course of. However when your knowledge and safety are in danger, these additional steps are price it. With every passing day you proceed relying on these easy passwords, you run the danger of knowledge theft. Be clever and use a password supervisor … earlier than it’s too late.
For those who’re curious to be taught extra about password managers, I extremely suggest trying out our Password Managers 101 video function on the official TechRepublic YouTube channel.
In that video, we dive into how password managers work, who they’re for, and what concrete advantages they supply companies and people.
SEE: IT Chief’s Information to Cybersecurity Consciousness Coaching (TechRepublic Premium)
Selecting a password supervisor for your small business
Password managers present robust, random passwords which can be totally different for each web site or service. Not like eight-character passwords that may be cracked by way of brute power briefly order, these passwords are unguessable by any recognized expertise. However as latest hacks of password managers made clear, the expertise isn’t infallible. Listed here are just a few tips that could information the choice on which suppliers to favor:
Respected vendor
Don’t use a startup primarily based in areas the place there could also be an absence of policing of on-line habits. Search for distributors commonly featured in analyst reviews from the likes of Gartner, IDC, and different well-known analyst corporations.
Cloud versus on-premise
Instruments that retailer passwords within the cloud are extra vulnerable to assault. Favor those who retailer them domestically in your gadget, particularly if your small business is primarily onsite.
Alternatively, cloud-based password managers can work higher for hybrid workforces, because it makes credentials simply accessible to distant staff as nicely. I counsel which system works greatest on your specific enterprise.
Security measures
Some password managers have higher safety safeguards than others. These utilizing a device-based password supervisor, for instance, ought to guarantee it will probably robotically lock after a really brief time of inactivity. Moreover, select instruments the place multifactor authentication, similar to receiving a textual content to your telephone, is required to unlock the password supervisor. In any other case, a keylogger might simply be utilized by a hacker to compromise the machine. And demand encryption of saved passwords, logon names, URLs, and different delicate knowledge from a potential vendor.
Patch hygiene
Like several software program or system, password managers include bugs, and software program vulnerabilities are typically found. These bugs and vulnerabilities could be exploited by attackers to realize entry, typically even once they’re locked. Some distributors present patches and depart it as much as the group to put in them. Others deploy them robotically so that they’re all the time updated. Verify into the patch hygiene practices of vendor candidates to see who demonstrates essentially the most accountable angle towards the patching of password managers. Equally, bear in mind that password managers make use of browser extensions and interface with different methods. Confirm that your vendor of alternative additionally pays consideration to patching these.
Value
Some password managers are less expensive than others. However sometimes, the low-cost merchandise lack lots of the enterprise and security measures wanted by many organizations. Costs sometimes vary from $2 to $5 per thirty days per person. Bigger organizations can benefit from extra reductions for quantity purchases.
Beneficial password managers
NordPass
If the title is acquainted, it’s as a result of NordPass comes from the creators of the favored NordVPN service. NordPass is greatest for customers trying to have an all-around password administration system. It has robust safety, an intuitive desktop and cellular software, and user-friendly pricing. It additionally makes use of the future-proof, XChaCha20 encryption algorithm to make person vaults unreadable.
Learn our full NordPass assessment right here.
Dashlane
Dashlane could also be higher for these with extra demanding safety necessities. It comes with darkish internet scanning, a built-in digital personal community, and synching between gadgets. Dashlane’s desktop UI is clear and straightforward to know, for newcomers and consultants alike. To this point, it additionally hasn’t been concerned in any kind of knowledge breach or hack.
Learn our full Dashlane assessment right here.
LogMeOnce
LogMeOnce could be greatest for these enterprises that function over a variety of platforms, gadget sorts, and methods as a result of its wide-ranging, cross-platform help. It’s extremely customizable however some customers report that it has sophisticated setup procedures. Within the service, LogMeOnce has a devoted password sharing heart, which I see could possibly be helpful for groups that commonly share passwords amongst one another.
Learn our full LogMeOnce assessment right here.
This text was initially revealed in June 2024. It was up to date by Luis Millares in March 2025.
