Password Managers, Strong Passwords, and Account Hygiene
The Password Problem
The average person has over 100 online accounts. Security best practice demands a unique, complex password for every single one. No human can memorize 100 unique strong passwords. The solution: a password manager.
Password Managers
A password manager is an encrypted vault that stores all your passwords. You need to remember only one strong master password. The manager generates, stores, and auto-fills unique, complex passwords for every site.
Recommended Password Managers
- Bitwarden — Open source, free tier, highly trusted. Excellent choice.
- 1Password — Polished, family and business plans available.
- Dashlane — User-friendly with a good free tier.
- Built-in options: Apple Keychain, Google Password Manager — convenient but tied to their ecosystems.
Important: Your master password should be extremely strong and unique. Use a passphrase — a string of 4-5 random words: “correct-horse-battery-staple” is more secure and memorable than “P@ssw0rd123!”
What Makes a Strong Password?
- Length: At least 16 characters. Length is more important than complexity.
- Randomness: No dictionary words, names, or predictable patterns.
- Unique: Never reuse passwords across sites. One breach exposes all reused passwords.
- No personal information: Not your birthday, pet’s name, or favourite team.
Check If You’ve Been Breached
Visit haveibeenpwned.com — a free, legitimate service that checks whether your email address has appeared in known data breaches. If it has, change the passwords for those accounts immediately.
Account Hygiene Best Practices
- Review connected apps: Regularly check which third-party apps have access to your Google/Facebook accounts and revoke access to unused ones.
- Delete old accounts: Accounts you no longer use are security liabilities. Delete them when possible.
- Use “Sign in with Google/Apple” carefully: Convenient, but creates a dependency — if that account is compromised, attackers can access everything linked to it.
- Security questions: Never use real answers — these can be guessed from social media. Use your password manager to store random fake answers.
- Review account activity: Most major platforms (Google, Apple, Microsoft) let you see recent sign-in activity. Check periodically for unauthorized access.
SIM Swapping — Protecting Your Phone Number
SIM swapping is when criminals convince your carrier to transfer your phone number to their SIM. Defenses:
- Set a PIN or passcode on your carrier account (call them to do this).
- Use authenticator apps instead of SMS for 2FA where possible.
- Some carriers offer “SIM lock” — enable it.