Are Password Manager Apps Safe?

*The following information is not legal or professional advice. Please be sure you check the local legislation or descriptions while using a VPN. It’s hard to imagine having to wonder whether an app that is meant to keep your information out of the hands of hackers is actually safe, but it’s good to question everything. With the way the world is on the internet, it is smart to be as skeptical as possible. This article will help you put your mind at ease when it comes to password manager apps.

Problems in the Past with Password Manager Apps

It’s true that there was a very well-known password manager app that was hacked. This, however, only made other password manager apps more cautious. The unfortunate event that happened to LastPass prompted all other password managers to take a deeper look at their encryption technology and fortify their defense.

Security Technology for Password Manager Apps

So how do password manager apps keep your information secure? It all starts with providing strong passwords for all of your logins. Then the master password gives you access to these passwords, and you are the only one who knows this master password. The strength of your master password is very important. It should be a 12 character or more password that includes a capital letter, number, and symbol. Although you need to remember the master password, you won’t need to remember the complex passwords generated by your password manager app for your sites. They will automatically fill in these for you. Using unique and difficult passwords at every account you have keeps you safer online. If you get hacked on one site and they get your password, if you use the same password for multiple sites, they are all in danger. To log into your password manager app, most of them require not only the master password, but some other form of verification. This is called two-factor authentication, and it keeps your information extra safe. Some examples of the extra authentication include facial recognition, fingerprint authentication, or retina scanning. These are very high-tech forms of security and should leave you feeling confident in using your password manager apps. Many password manager apps use a strong 256-bit encryption to keep hackers from being able to get into their programs and steal your information. This encryption process isn’t just thrown together. These were created by security engineers. Hackers are looking for weak and easy prey. Using password manager apps is the first step to prevent outside access to your account. Hackers will be forced to spend their time and energy elsewhere.

Password Manager Apps vs. Going it Alone

Although you can never guarantee you won’t be hacked through a password manager app, it is safer than not using one. If you don’t use one, you have two choices. Either use the same password for all your accounts, ensuring that it is one that you will easily remember, or try to come up with strong passwords on your own and do your best to remember them. Either of those choices have their downfalls. If you don’t use password manager apps to track your passwords, you risk having someone figure out your password or forgetting your passwords and being locked out of your accounts. With all that being said, even with the risk of using password manager apps, you risk more by not using them. You’ll be especially happy if you use one of the five highest-rated password manager apps.   *VPN services are prohibited in some jurisdictions, as well as subject to content providers or websites’ operators’ terms of use. We recommend you ensure you are legally allowed to use the VPN services prior to any use or registration. We do not encourage the use of a VPN for illegal purposes in any manner.