Is It Safe to Store Your Passwords on Your Browser?
Password Security Should Be Multi-Layered – Making Sure Passwords Are Encrypted, Not Reused Between Sites, And Unable to Be Recovered in Plain Text. Are You Following This Standard?
The security of your online accounts, including cloud services, banking websites, and other important accounts, relies on how well you’re following password security standards. This means that if you’re not using a multi-layered approach wherein passwords are encrypted, not reused between sites, and unable to be recovered in plain text, you’re at a major risk of being hacked. Before we go into the importance of a multi-layered approach and an alternative to storing passwords on your browser, let’s look at the basics of a strong password:
- A minimum of 12-characters: All passwords should have a minimum of 12-characters, however, longer is even better.
- A mix of letters, numbers, and symbols: Incorporate a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols into each and every password.
- A lack of dictionary-based words: Whenever possible, avoid using words found in the dictionary and use made-up words instead.
- A lack of personal, obvious words: Don’t use your child’s name, birthdate or any sort of personal facts someone could easily find out.
How to Incorporate a Multi-Layered Approach to Password Security…
Here’s the age old question… If you’re safeguarding against hackers using proper password best practices, such as creating long, complex, unique passwords for each account – made of numbers, letters, and characters, how are you supposed to remember those passwords? For many individuals, storing them on your browser is the easiest way to do this. It’s convenient and easy, especially when we have multiple accounts that need to be accessed on a daily basis, and naturally, you don’t want to use the same password on each account.
Unfortunately, storing passwords on your browsers isn’t necessarily safe. Why? Because if someone logs into your computer, they’re able to access everything. This happens more frequently than most people realize. If you leave your laptop at a hotel, in a cafe or anywhere unguarded or it’s simply lost, you’re unable to protect all of the accounts you’ve accessed on it. Some browsers, as long as they’re updated to the latest version, offer the ability to incorporate a multi-layered approach wherein passwords are encrypted and unable to be translated to plain text.
However, if you’re not sure, it’s always best to leverage a third-party service to keep your passwords encrypted but easy to retrieve when necessary. In addition, a third-party service can simplify the process of following best practices in regards to long, complex passwords. How so? Because you’re not dependent on the browser, but instead, you’re able to choose complex passwords and access them from any device necessary, including:
- Multiple browsers
- Workstations
- Mobile devices
- And more
Aside from using a third-party service that keeps your passwords encrypted and easy to retrieve, here are a few tips:
- Remove all stored passwords in the security settings of all your browsers
- Turn off the auto-prompt that offers the ability to store passwords
- Use two-factor authentication whenever it’s available
Speak with Our Sacramento IT Company About Cybersecurity Now…
Our team of qualified, certified cybersecurity experts is happy to offer guidance, support, and solutions to keep you safe against hackers. Get in touch with us now. Call (916) 441-3838 to get started.
