Tech Tip: Password Managers

We all know that participating in the digital world brings a risk of scammers trying to steal personal information. One of the best ways to avoid falling victim to these virtual attacks is by keeping your account secure with a strong and unique password, or even better a passphrase. A passphrase refers to a combination of multiple words and special characters as opposed to one word traditionally used in a password. Please see our YouTube video below for tips on creating a strong passphrase.

Using a strong and unique password or phrase means that for each online account that you own, you should be using a different password/phrase. But let’s be honest, it can be challenging to come up with a different password/phrase for every online account, and even worse try remembering them all!

Luckily, various tech companies have released their own versions of password managers. These password managers make creating and keeping track of passwords simple by securely storing your passwords and the accounts they gain access to. Some even take the legwork out of creating a strong password/phrase by creating and storing a passphrase for you and alerting you of security risks like compromised accounts and reused passwords.

For more information on choosing a password manager the UWM Office of Information Security recommends reviewing these password manager guidelines provided by Carnegie Mellon University.