Yeah, I know. We’ve all got a bunch of different things to log into.  Probably several email accounts, bank accounts, web sites, your computer, hosted services, applications, etc.  It is really easy to use the same or similar passwords across multiple sites.  After all, hey, nobody would want to hack ME!

Would you bet your career on it?

Have you heard about the recent hacks of Yahoo and Dropbox – that happened TWO YEARS ago? That’s something like 68 MILLION logins from Dropbox and over 500 MILLION from Yahoo.  Use either of those?  You think those are the ONLY ones that have been hacked – especially considering that the hacks occurred several YEARS before they reported them?  What other services do you use that might have been hacked that you don’t yet know about?

The question isn’t just about what you might have on Yahoo. Maybe it is nothing important.  The real problem is if you’ve used the same or similar passwords elsewhere.  Even if your Yahoo password NOW is different than it was before, if OTHER accounts use the same or similar passwords, they might be able to be accessed as well.  Hackers have a lot of time on their hands, and they’ll get into anything they can.  Use MyCatName1 for one account and MyCatName2 on another account and you can bet that if someone wants in, they’ll figure it out pretty quickly.

So what do you do?

It is impossible to remember dozens or hundreds of different passwords. So they have to be stored someplace.  No, Post-It notes aren’t a good storage medium.

Perhaps the best solution is one of the password storage programs that exist out there – programs such as Passportal. These can store your passwords, account information, and are accessible on multiple platforms, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.  Many are web-accessible where a single login gives you access to all of your passwords.

Some will even enter the password information FOR YOU when you go to various programs or web sites.

Many are free or very low cost, but the best with the most features may cost a little money – though they usually won’t break the bank. As with most things, sometimes paying a little more will save you in the long run through ease of use.

If you’re interested in learning more, give us a call or send an email.