It is truly upsetting to see how few people use password managers. I have witnessed people who always use the same password (and even tell me what it is), people who try to login to accounts but constantly can’t remember which credentials they used, people who store all of their passwords on a text file on their desktop, people who use a password manager but store the master password on Discord, entire tech sectors in companies locked to LastPass, and so much more. One person even told me they were upset that websites wouldn’t tell you password requirements after you create your account, and so they screenshot the requirements every time so they could remember which characters to add to their reused password.

Use a password manager. Whatever solution you think you can come up with is most likely not secure. Computers store a lot of temporary files in places you might not even know how to check, so don’t just stick it in a text file. Use a properly made password manager, such as Bitwarden or KeePassXC. They’re not going to steal your passwords. Store your master password in a safe place or use a passphrase that you can remember. Even using your browser’s password storage is better than nothing. Don’t reuse passwords, use long randomly generated ones.

It’s free, it’s convenient, it takes a few minutes to set up, and its a massive boost in security. No needing to remember passwords. No needing to come up with new passwords. No manually typing passwords. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but if even one of you decides to use a password manager after this then it’s an easy win.

Please, don’t wait. If you aren’t using a password manager right now, take a few minutes. You’ll thank yourself later.

  • SocialMediaRefugee
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    3 months ago

    I’d be open to using a pw manager then I read the comments here and everyone is suggesting different apps, arguing over how inconvenient one or the other it, various issues, etc. It doesn’t make me feel like taking action if everything feels sketchy.

    • sheogorath@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I just tried the free option (bitwarden) and then migrated to Proton to use all of their apps. TOTP support is also an added bonus for the Proton Pass since Authy has fucked off a cliff.

    • Kaiserschmarrn@feddit.org
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      3 months ago

      I’m paying for Bitwarden’s Family plan and share it with three friends. It costs me ~80 cents per month and it just works. We are using it for multiple years now and migrated to their new EU servers this year. Bitwarden has everything I need and it’s in my opinion the best bang for your buck. But try out their free option and form your own opinion.