For the 2025 Specops Weak Password Report, researchers analyzed round 1.089 billion stolen passwords and located that probably the most generally breached passwords consisted of eight characters.
Alarmingly, out of the one billion compromised passwords, nearly 230 million could be thought of complicated. This implies that they had a minimal of eight characters, a capital letter, a quantity, and a particular character.
This exhibits how superior hacking methods have change into lately, reinforcing the necessity for a safe and dependable password administration service.
Password managers are designed to get rid of weak passwords and make it a lot more durable for attackers to compromise credentials. On this article, we talk about 5 explanation why it is best to use a password supervisor.
NordPass
Staff per Firm Dimension
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Giant (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Micro (0-49 Staff), Small (50-249 Staff), Medium (250-999 Staff), Giant (1,000-4,999 Staff), Enterprise (5,000+ Staff)Micro, Small, Medium, Giant, Enterprise
Options
Exercise Log, Enterprise Admin Panel for consumer administration, Firm-wide settings, and extra
Dashlane
Staff per Firm Dimension
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Giant (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Micro (0-49 Staff), Small (50-249 Staff), Medium (250-999 Staff), Giant (1,000-4,999 Staff), Enterprise (5,000+ Staff)Micro, Small, Medium, Giant, Enterprise
Options
Automated Provisioning
ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus
Staff per Firm Dimension
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Giant (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Any Firm SizeAny Firm Dimension
Options
Entry Administration, Compliance Administration, Credential Administration, and extra
What’s a password supervisor?
A password supervisor is software program that shops passwords, usernames, and different login data in an encrypted vault. They are often hosted on the cloud or on-prem and might cater to each particular person customers and organizations alike.
Examples of password supervisor suppliers embrace Bitwarden, 1Password, Keeper, Dashlane, LastPass, and NordPass. For a extra detailed information, try our full Password Supervisor Cheat Sheet that dives into password managers in-depth.
Whereas this all sounds neat and nifty, chances are you’ll be asking, “Why not just use the trusty pen and paper?” to retailer all of your passwords.
Effectively, listed below are 5 explanation why a password supervisor is certainly value contemplating.
5 explanation why you want a password supervisor
1. Your passwords are too easy
That is the largest cause, bar none. When you’re utilizing passwords you could simply keep in mind (corresponding to password, password123, happyhappyjoyjoy, and so forth.), you’re in danger. Why? Easy passwords are simpler to crack. With the proper instruments (and sufficient horsepower), a hacker can crack these easy passwords in seconds or minutes. Due to this, you need to guarantee that the passwords you utilize are onerous (if not inconceivable) to recollect.
A very good rule of thumb is that in the event you can simply keep in mind a password, it’s in all probability straightforward to crack. The more durable that password is to recollect, the more durable it’s to crack. So whenever you use such tough passwords, you want a vault to accommodate them. That’s the place a password supervisor comes into play.
Dashlane password supervisor consumer interface. Picture: Luis Millares
2. Password managers embrace random password mills
Talking of difficult passwords, you shouldn’t attempt to give you difficult passwords by yourself, otherwise you’ll wind up with variations in your regular theme. As an alternative, you want a password supervisor that features a random password generator to create very difficult passwords. Most password managers, corresponding to Bitwarden, let you configure how difficult the password is. With these instruments, you possibly can generate passwords which can be 20 random characters lengthy and even unpronounceable, random phrases. Make use of those instruments, and your passwords will likely be very difficult and, due to this fact, sturdy.
Bitwarden password generator. Picture: Luis Millares
3. You solely want to recollect one password
With a password supervisor, you solely want to recollect one password — the one used to achieve entry to your saved passwords. That is referred to as the Grasp Password.
With this in place, you don’t have to fret about remembering all these new and extremely complicated passwords generated by the supervisor. Open the managing instrument, sort your Grasp Password and find the password you want. The one caveat to that is to ensure your vault password isn’t easy. It doesn’t should be overly complicated, simply not apparent.
Making a grasp password in NordPass. Picture: Luis Millares
4. The numbers are in opposition to you
What number of accounts do you could have which require a password? Tens? Tons of? The extra accounts you could have, the extra probably it’s that the numbers are in opposition to you. Due to this, you in all probability use the identical password for every thing, which is a HUGE no no. You will need to use completely different passwords for each account. With that many various passwords, how are you going to recollect them? You’re not (particularly if these passwords are difficult). That’s one other huge cause to make use of a password supervisor.
1Password’s dashboard with saved credentials. Picture: Luis Millares
That’s one other huge cause to make use of a password supervisor, as these instruments are designed to retailer a whole lot of passwords and logins with ease. Keep in mind cause 3? Just one password requires remembering!
5. Passwords will all the time be on the prepared with machine syncing
Some password managers let you sync your password database throughout all your gadgets. With this characteristic, you possibly can entry your passwords in your desktop, your laptop computer, and your cellular gadgets. This manner, you all the time have your passwords at hand. When you decide to make use of this characteristic, be sure you have your password database encrypted with a powerful password. The very last thing you want is for a foul actor to intercept your database and crack it through brute pressure.
Enpass syncing performance. Picture: Luis Millares
Bonus cause: It’s the sensible factor to do
Sure, utilizing a password supervisor does add a step or two to the log-in course of. However when your knowledge and safety are in danger, these additional steps are value it. With every passing day you proceed relying on these easy passwords, you run the chance of knowledge theft. Be sensible and use a password supervisor … earlier than it’s too late.
When you’re curious to study extra about password managers, I extremely advocate testing our Password Managers 101 video characteristic on the official TechRepublic YouTube channel.
In that video, we dive into how password managers work, who they’re for, and what concrete advantages they supply companies and people.
SEE: IT Chief’s Information to Cybersecurity Consciousness Coaching (TechRepublic Premium)
Selecting a password supervisor for what you are promoting
Password managers present sturdy, random passwords which can be completely different for each website or service. In contrast to eight-character passwords that may be cracked through brute pressure in brief order, these passwords are unguessable by any recognized expertise. However as latest hacks of password managers made clear, the expertise isn’t infallible. Listed here are a couple of tips that could information the choice on which suppliers to favor:
Respected vendor
Don’t use a startup based mostly in areas the place there could also be an absence of policing of on-line conduct. Search for distributors often featured in analyst studies from the likes of Gartner, IDC, and different well-known analyst corporations.
Cloud versus on-premise
Instruments that retailer passwords within the cloud are extra vulnerable to assault. Favor people who retailer them regionally in your machine, particularly if what you are promoting is primarily onsite.
Alternatively, cloud-based password managers can work higher for hybrid workforces, because it makes credentials simply accessible to distant staff as effectively. I counsel taking a look at which system works greatest to your explicit enterprise.
Security measures
Some password managers have higher safety safeguards than others. These utilizing a device-based password supervisor, for instance, ought to guarantee it might probably routinely lock after a really quick time of inactivity. Moreover, select instruments the place multifactor authentication, corresponding to receiving a textual content to your telephone, is required to unlock the password supervisor. In any other case, a keylogger might simply be utilized by a hacker to compromise the machine. And demand encryption of saved passwords, logon names, URLs, and different delicate knowledge from a potential vendor.
Patch hygiene
Like several software program or system, password managers include bugs, and software program vulnerabilities are generally found. These bugs and vulnerabilities might be exploited by attackers to achieve entry, generally even after they’re locked. Some distributors present patches and depart it as much as the group to put in them. Others deploy them routinely in order that they’re all the time updated. Examine into the patch hygiene practices of vendor candidates to see who demonstrates probably the most accountable perspective towards the patching of password managers. Equally, bear in mind that password managers make use of browser extensions and interface with different methods. Confirm that your vendor of alternative additionally pays consideration to patching these.
Value
Some password managers are less expensive than others. However sometimes, the low-cost merchandise lack lots of the enterprise and safety features wanted by many organizations. Costs sometimes vary from $2 to $5 per 30 days per consumer. Bigger organizations can reap the benefits of further reductions for quantity purchases.
Extra cloud safety protection
Advisable password managers
NordPass
Picture: NordPass
If the identify is acquainted, it’s as a result of NordPass comes from the creators of the favored NordVPN service. NordPass is greatest for customers trying to have an all-around password administration system. It has sturdy safety, an intuitive desktop and cellular utility, and user-friendly pricing. It additionally makes use of the future-proof, XChaCha20 encryption algorithm to make consumer vaults unreadable.
Learn our full NordPass evaluation right here.
Dashlane
Picture: Dashlane
Dashlane could also be higher for these with extra demanding safety necessities. It comes with darkish internet scanning, a built-in digital non-public community, and synching between gadgets. Dashlane’s desktop UI is clear and simple to know, for inexperienced persons and specialists alike. Thus far, it additionally hasn’t been concerned in any type of knowledge breach or hack.
Learn our full Dashlane evaluation right here.
LogMeOnce
Picture: LogMeOnce
LogMeOnce is likely to be greatest for these enterprises that function over a variety of platforms, machine varieties, and methods as a consequence of its wide-ranging, cross-platform assist. It’s extremely customizable however some customers report that it has difficult setup procedures. Within the service, LogMeOnce has a devoted password sharing middle, which I see may very well be helpful for groups that often share passwords amongst one another.
Learn our full LogMeOnce evaluation right here.
This text was initially printed in June 2024. It was up to date by Luis Millares in March 2025.
