Solving that perennial password problem
Keeping track of which password opens which site can be difficult
One of the necessities of using the internet is also one of the most troublesome. It’s the matter of passwords. You have a login and password to access your email and you’ve probably set up others at websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and your online banking site.
You could use a standard user name such as your email address but security experts recommend a different password for each account you create. The reasoning is that if you use the same password for all accounts then anyone who obtains the single password could access all of your accounts and possibly ruin your life. The problem is remembering all those passwords.
At a simple level you could record them in a notebook and hide it. While this may be the easiest it’s also the most insecure and inconvenient. Someone could find the notebook, it’s impractical to constantly retrieve it when you need a password, and it will be inaccessible if you’re travelling or away from home.
A more accessible and secure method is to record your accounts and passwords in an MS Word or LibreOffice document and protect it with a password.
You’ll only need to remember one password to open the document and it will be quickly accessible when you need it. If you store the document in the cloud at Google Drive, Microsoft’s One Drive, Apple’s iCloud, or Dropbox, you’ll be able to access it anywhere on any computer or mobile device connected to the internet. Of course, you’ll also need to remember the password for the cloud service to access the document.
There is a handy guide for passwordprotecting
a Word document at the Webucator site (https://tinyurl.com/y8kflyyl) and a LibreOffice tutorial at the Liberian Geek site (http://tinyurl.com/jaq48f9).
Besides the manual route of recording your passwords you can opt for a software solution. You use a browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft's Edge, or Apple’s Safari to access websites and each of these browsers, on a computer or a mobile device, can be set to remember logins and passwords and automatically insert them at the applicable websites.
The procedure for doing this is different for each browser but luckily there are websites with instructions for Chrome (http://tinyurl.com/h6thpsh), Firefox (http://tinyurl.com/nqaskwq), and Edge (http://tinyurl.com/jxls9xe). In Safari on an iPad or iPhone, tap on Settings, Safari, and then Autofill.
However, along with the convenience there are security concerns. Anyone who
uses the computer or mobile device will be able to automatically log in to your sensitive websites so you should assign a passcode which must be entered to use your mobile device or computer. If you have other people using your desktop or laptop set up a separate standard user account for each of them which will deny them access to your files and settings. There are instructions for doing this at the Lifewire site (https://tinyurl.com/ybrbqwos). For added security Firefox has an option to assign a master password which must be entered before it will automatically log you in to secure websites.
A more complicated but secure method is to use a dedicated password program. You can see what's available along with reviews at PC Magazine's list of the best password managers for 2018 (http://tinyurl.com/c86fg9v). All of the programs are available for purchase online although Lastpass (www.lastpass.com) has a highly
rated free version with many features for use on one Windows computer. If you want to use it on a mobile device and sync your passwords across devices it costs $2 US per month.
Lastpass installs as a browser add-on and securely stores all of your passwords in a secure vault at its website and automatically inserts your credentials at any website requiring a sign-in. You can view your logins and passwords from any computer by logging in with a master password at the Lastpass website. The company says that its employees cannot gain access to your vault or your master password so, needless to say, don’t forget your Lastpass password or you'll be locked out of your own vault.