Cybersecurity: Are Your Passwords Safe ???

How many passwords do you have? ... Personal email?  Work email?  Amazon?  Facebook?  Twitter? ..... every website wants you to set up another account with yet another username and password.  And you also have other sensitive information that you must remember and keep secure, such as your social security number, passport number, voter card, voice mail password, credit card numbers, combination locks, prescriptions, serial numbers, and the list continuously grows and wants to own a larger piece of your memory. 

Eventually the list becomes overwhelming, which causes some people to start using very risky methods to keep up with all the passwords...they write them on a sticky note, write they in a paper notebook, or they use the same password for every service.   But this is a recipe for identity theft, lose of your very sensitive personal information, and/or other significant personal impact.  

We often see services hacked that we commonly use such as Yahoo, LinkedIn, Home Depot, Zappos, Uber and many others.  When they hack those companies/services, they typically steal your username and password, and if you use the same password for every account, the hacker can now access and steal from all of your accounts.  I encourage you to create individual passwords for every account.  So, you need a better way of securing and keeping up with your ever-growing list of passwords, and I recommend you implement a Password Manager.      

A Password Manager keeps your passwords secure by storing them in an app that is protected by military-grade encryption.  Password Managers come in several flavors.  You can purchase an Password Manager application that you install on your device (your smartphone and/or PC), and with that one-time purchase you own the Password Manager.  Or you can pay a monthly or annual subscription fee that provides an application that you install or access through a secure website.  A Password Manager will make your information more secure, give you piece of mind, and make your life a lot easier too!   

Here are three recommendations for a Password Manager:

• LastPass, www.lastpass.com, is one of the most popular and most recommended by trade journals.   Price: Free for basic service, $12 subscription fee per year for premium.  
• 1Password, 1password.com, has been the leading password manager for apple products and it now works well on PC and android. 
  Price: $3 per month subscription fee on unlimited devices, $5 per month subscription fee for a family plan.
• eWallet, www.iliumsoft.com/ewallet, is my recommendation for a one-time purchase for individual devices. 
  Price: $9.99 one time purchase for your smart phone app, small additional fee to add it to other devices.