If you’re like most, your passwords have been compromised

Lark Ismail

It’s difficult to keep count of all the major data breaches over the last few years. According to Pew Research, 64% of Americans know they have personally experienced a major data breach.

Examples that made headlines include Equifax, one of the major credit bureaus, who were targeted by a cyber attack that resulted compromised personal data for 148 million members.

Facebook has had multiple breaches and may face serious fines. Consumer reports argues that the personal nature of the stolen data could be much more valuable and detrimental than much larger data breaches.

A few other big names to get you thinking include:

Uber, MyFitnessPal, Panera Bread, Ticketfly, Saks Fifth Avenue, Best Buy, Whole Foods, Linkedin, Adobe, and many more.

Why isn’t anyone using password managers?

“12% of internet users say that they ever use password management software themselves – and only 3% say that this is the password technique they rely on most. ” – Pew Research.

Many of us reuse passwords or use passwords that are weak and easy to remember for convenience. Nearly every service we join needs login information now so it’s understandable that it quickly becomes overwhelming. I doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need to store bits of paper with random account details written down. You can have secure passwords without having to remember them all.

Password managers store your passwords for all of your accounts in one place. This means you only have to remember one password – the password for your password manager. You’ll have no excuse to use the same password over and over. In fact, now you can create crazy difficult extra complex passwords for all of your accounts.

  • Benefits: 
    • Easy access from web browsers or mobile
    • Automatically login to on saved sites
    • Secure password creation generator
    • Shared accounts with family or co-workers
    • Some can help you easily bulk change current weak passwords
    • Store credit card details for easy access

Are these tools secure?

Password manager are not foolproof. However, using a password manager will provide you significantly more security than reusing passwords or using easy to medium passwords. The key to password managers is that they encrypt your data. This means your password isn’t saved as it appears. The password is scrambled up or completely different. It will require a security key in order for the actual password to be accessed. Company employees won’t even be able to see your actually password. Don’t worry. When you need your account information you’ll be able to easily access it right away near instantaneously.

One of the major password managers did experience a breach in 2015 and user emails were exposed, but there was no evidence that users’ master passwords or encrypted password had been compromised.

Two-Factor Authentication adds an extra lawyer of security to password managers and any other service you use. This means before someone can access an account, authorization from a second source is required. For most people, this would be a notification on your phone to confirm your identity.

Time to Take Action!

Check if your data has been stolen.

haveibeenpwned.com – This site helps people check if their data was stolen in recent breaches. You can also sign up to be notified when new breaches occur that included your data.

Check if you were part of the Equifax breach. If you have, you should consider a credit freeze to protect yourself from credit issues.

Start using a Password Manager.

Some of the most popular password managers include Lastpass, Dashlane, Keeper, True Key. You can learn more and compare each of these options using this Password Manager guide.

Lastpass is a great place to start for many users. It offers free protection and premium level starts at $2 a month. It is available as a browser extension and mobile app for easy access on all of your devices.

Work with a company that cares about security

At Jolly Good Media we really care about our clients online security. We offer maintenance packages for our websites that include daily backups and advanced security. Our clients are informed and reminded of steps to take in the event of nationwide breaches. If you’re interested in talking security, give us a call today.

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Lark

Managing Director at Jolly Good Media. We focus on continued customer relationships with ongoing website maintenance and SEO strategy. My husband, two yorkies, and I recently moved to Oregon. I love brewing Kombucha, raising chickens, and drinking wine.