Best Ways To Keep Passwords Safe and Organized

The best way to keep passwords safe and organized is to equip yourself with strategies for managing and storing them. One example is using a password manager like LastPass. These services simplify the process of saving, storing, sharing, and managing credentials by guaranteeing convenience and robust protection against cyberthreats.

A low-level cyberattack is enough to have devastating consequences, such as identity theft, unauthorized access to your credit card, loss of access to personal accounts, and reputational damage. Flashpoint’s 2024 Global Threat Intelligence Report reveals that the number of exposed or stolen personal records increased by 429% compared to the previous year.

One of the main gateways for data breaching is weak and reused passwords. Yet still, using simple, easy-to-guess passwords across multiple accounts is still commonplace. Hackers get to work with simple cracking and hacking methods like credential stuffing, and before you know it, they have full access to all accounts sharing the password.

The good news is that there is software designed specifically to combat this threat. Password managers help you create complex and unique passwords for each account and encrypt them in a secure vault away from danger.

If you don’t know how to store passwords safely, it’s easy to fall into the pitfalls of password management. These include:

• Weak passwords: Don’t use simple passwords like 12345, names, birthdays, or complete words. We highly recommend using a password generator to create new passwords.
• Password reuse: Refrain from reusing passwords across accounts. If you do this, attackers can access all other accounts by compromising one.
• Unencrypted password storage: Never store passwords in plain text files, notebooks, or by taking a photo of them. These unencrypted locations are vulnerable to breaches via malware, hacking, or unauthorized access.
• Save passwords in browsers: Avoid saving passwords in browsers. Anyone using the device can easily access them.
• Unsafe password sharing: Don’t share credentials via unsecured channels like email, message apps, or sticky notes.
• Not using multi-factor authentication: Ensure you enable MFA for all your accounts. It adds an extra layer of security and is considered one of the best practices for avoiding cyberattacks and unauthorized access.

For storing passwords, you have online storage options like cloud services and offline solutions, such as hard drives or USB devices. The choice between these depends on your priorities for accessibility, security, and control.

Using a password manager is the best way to store passwords securely. These solutions protect all credentials with advanced encryption methods, such as AES-256, which makes all readable entries unreadable.

Many of them go a step further by incorporating end-to-end zero-knowledge architecture, ensuring that only you can access the data. Additionally, they include encrypted cloud storage, making all data accessible across multiple devices. In the event of a breach, all stored data remains inaccessible without its decryption key.

For those requiring offline access to their passwords, the safest place to store passwords is encrypted USB drives or offline vaults. It’s important to choose a physical storage method carefully, especially for unencrypted options. We recommend finding a safe place to store passwords, like a safe or locked cabinet, to prevent unauthorized access.

Alternatively, you can use a service like LastPass that provides online and offline access. In this case, it allows you to access your vault in read-only mode via a cached version of the encrypted data. In this mode, all changes within the vault are synced to the cloud when reconnecting to the internet.

Our increasing reliance on smartphones, computers, and other digital devices to store sensitive data makes them the usual targets of cyberattacks. Due to this, it’s fundamental that you secure them to the highest degree.

Fortunately, password manager apps use strong encryption on all supported devices that safeguard passwords both at rest and in transit. In addition, password managers include extra security features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and biometric security, such as fingerprint or facial recognition.

For example, some password managers, like LastPass, offer authenticator apps. These apps add another layer of security to your account by requiring a unique one-time passcode (OTP) for login, in addition to your master password. This code is generated every 30 seconds or can be approved with a single tap, making it significantly more difficult for someone to access your account, even if they know your password.

Each year, cyberthreats grow more sophisticated, making it essential to keep your passwords secure and organized. Weak, reused, and poorly stored passwords remain the main gateway for hackers to access accounts. By following best practices like using strong and unique passwords created by a password generator, you significantly reduce the risk of being hacked.

Services like LastPass are highly effective in keeping you one step ahead of online criminals. They provide strong encryption, automatic backups, multi-device synchronization, and great organization features.

This password manager even includes advanced sharing, save and autofill, 2FA, and support for multiple operating systems. If you’re uncertain about your next step, it’s worth trying the free version of LastPass to experience its benefits firsthand.