Are password managers worth it?

I use lastpass and love it. I still don't trust myself to use insanely complex passwords. But lastpass helps with being able to thumbprint in on my phone.

You can view the passwords via app if you need to see it and enter it at work.

In my opinion, they are essential these days. Get a password manager now and use 2FA on any service you use if possible (Resetera 2FA has problems with email, use the authenticator app option for now)

Downside is the manager gets hacked, which has happened but 65 passwords is insane. Just get the manager.

Just manage it yourself with KeePass.

LastPass isn't janky at all for me. Works just about perfectly on both my desktop and my phone. I would agree with others. Password managers are an absolute must nowadays.

I use mSecure on my phone and LastPass on PC. Would never go without again!

I have a password manager and 2FA wherever possible. Thumbprint for anything on my phone. Yes, I think they're worth it.

Password managers are great. You can customize the password length they generate so if you want a 10 or 12 character password that is fine.

I use 1password, only downside is that it costs money. It can also generate memorable passwords like "correct-horse-battery-stapler" if you prefer.

For logging in on a computer where I don't have 1password I can just pull the password up on the app on my phone. Passwords are synced through their cloud automatically.

I used to use KeePass but that app is free and open source and is lacking support for syncing between phones and Macs. Windows version might be better I'm not sure.

Yeah op, use one. KeePass is a good free option

Absolutely get on a password manager. The major downside to them is they are a single point of failure, but as long as you don't recycle a password and it's strong, you'll be fine. All the big password managers are secure, so there isn't any worry about something going wrong on their end.

Last Pass is great and most affordable. It works on all major browsers and phones. I used 1Password before, but they no longer allow buying the manager outright, and their Android support sucks. They're great if you're on Mac and iPhone, because that's what they're native to. The key to get into your vault on Android was one-time use, so if you change phones, you're out of luck. Not sure if they fixed that. KeePass is free, but lacks the comfort of the other two.

Once you pick one and establish everything, they'll autofill where you need them. If you're creating a password, you can set the length and complexity and it will save it for you. If an issue happens, you can go into your vault and copy it manually. It happens.

I've been using Lastpass for years. It's essential for me now. With so many website hacks happening, you definitely don't want to be sharing passwords across sites anymore. I keep my most important passwords in my head though (email, banking, investment) just to ensure that if something does happen, my financials are not impacted.

Mammoth Jones said:

So I have about 65 passwords I keep in my head. And I'm at my breaking point. However I never got into password managers as they always seemed 'janky'. I formed that opinion when I first noticed them when their smartphone apps dropped. So I disregarded them.

Was talking to a former coworker/mentor whom I greatly respect and his face was that of mild shock and disgust at the idea that I don't use a password manager.

Do you folks use them? How do you deal with trying to log into a site on a work computer or multiple smartphones? Does it kick out some crazy long string you gotta paste in? What happens when you can't paste it?

And most importantly: What are the risks in using a password manager?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

To answer your questions directly:

I use LastPass. I have the LastPass extension for Chrome installed on both my work and personal computers. That lets you autofill or copy/paste your passwords easily. You could also just log-in to their web app and get your passwords that way. Or I will pull up the LastPass app on my phone, view my password and type it in manually. I think most of my passwords are between 16-20 characters, so it's not crazy long.

Lastpass on my phone and computers is so damn useful. Use it for personal and business and saves me so much timing when needing to look up a password and allow for more robust passwords.

If anything don't allow the managers to fill in on your phone, it can act weird with some sites. Just use it like a notepad that you write your passwords. On desktop let it fill in everything. So damn good.

My work pays for LastPass Premium. Love it. It's got a security check feature to help you identify password re-use and it can even automate the password change process for a lot of the popular sites.

Yes, yes they are.

Even if they get hacked, any password manager worth their salt encrypts their data so unless the hacker gets your master password (which should be tough to crack, because it's the only password you'll need to memorize and the big, single weak point) the data will remain useless to anyone but you.

Yes. They're essential. I have unique 20+ digit passwords for every site I've ever used and it's so much nicer than having to remember which of my ~3 rotating passwords I used on which site.

I'd also recommend activating 2FA whenever possible. And if you do, try to use Authy as your authentication app. Unlike Google Authenticator, Authy can be installed on multiple devices simultaneously, even Windows.

Yes. They're a pain to setup of course. But once that's done, it's just so much easier. I've been using LastPass for years with little issue. Plus it of course supports 2FA. So even if they are hacked (useless alone since data is encrypted), and they get your master password (how?), you still have 2FA to fall back on too.

LastPass + Authy for me.

Password managers seem pretty essential.

pestul said:

Just manage it yourself with KeePass.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Yup, I've had KeePass database for years. Multiple desktop and mobile apps available too.

Yes they are. At this point I can't imagine going back to the old days before I started using one.

I don't do much on mobile so I have no recommendations there, but LastPass is pretty great on the PC.

Absolutely. I couldn't imagine using the web without one these days. I use LastPass and have for years.

Mammoth Jones said:

Are you screwed if you need to reinstall the password manager app on your phone? Like when changing phones, reinstalling OS?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

No, it's pretty straight forward. You install the app and login. If you have 2-factor on then it sends you a text or w/e.

The only difficulty I have is with setting up new versions of MacOS / OS X, where it pings you for your Apple ID when setting up the computer, before you get to your desktop. In that case, I choose "setup later," but it's a little annoying. It's annoying that Apple has you login to their store befor eyou can use the computer.

I use one as a way to hold more complicated passwords I wouldn't be able to remember myself, and as a reminder in case I forget the ones that I use often (which has happened before). They're very helpful, and frees you up to put in very strong passwords for important accounts without worrying about whether you can remember them later.

The passwords that I paste from my manager are usually only for personal accounts I log into from home. I still memorize the passwords I use at work, though I still have those things in my password manager in case I forget them.

I switched to using LastPass two days ago, and it's been seamless ever since. 32-character strings of gibberish on every site I use, across multiple devices, and I've yet to hit a snag.

Another longtime LastPass user here. Absolutely worth it (the free version that is). It's pretty hassle-free on PC and iOS at least

Altazor said:

Even if they get hacked, any password manager worth their salt encrypts their data

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

If this was an intentional pun, it was really good.

Mammoth Jones said:

Are you screwed if you need to reinstall the password manager app on your phone? Like when changing phones, reinstalling OS?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Nope, unless the database is stored locally in your phone and you manage to delete it with the rest of the data. And even then - if you have a backup of the database on your PC, it's only a matter of transferring your database back to the phone, and then (re)installing the password manager to open it.

This doesn't happen if the database is in the cloud. It's just a matter of installing the password manager, inputting the master password and voilà!

Tristam said:

If this was an intentional pun, it was really good.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

it was ;)

YES. I use 1Password, and it's great not having to remember passwords for every site/service.

SuperPac said:

YES. I use 1Password, and it's great not having to remember passwords for every site/service.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Same here, I've been using 1Password for a while now and it's incredible. I have it on my iPhone, Macbook Pro and my PC. It works perfectly.

Yes, they're great. I've been using 1Password for years and have ~400 passwords in there now. There's no reason not to use one now that they all have smartphone apps with browser integration, etc. Not sure about the others but 1Password also has 2FA authentication built in, so it'll copy the current key to your clipboard when you log in to somewhere that uses it.

I spent an entire afternoon setting up LastPass. It was a slog but more than worth the effort in the end.

I never used one before it because mandatory for work. I say let your browser store everything and then have a nervous breakdown when they all inevitably get lost.

I've been using LastPass for years and I love it. Takes a little while when you first get started trying to get everything organized but after that it's a breeze.

LastPass
+
Authy

For me as well.

As others have stated it's way better. Yes it's a PITA to initially setup. Once you get by that your good though.

The same applies for Authy as it's super awesome, but yes the initial setup takes some time switching all of your shit over.

Have been using LastPass for a while now. Totally worth it and makes it much easier to use strong passwords for your accounts.

Everyone should have a password manager. I've had some of my stuff hacked into for having the same password associated with my email as a login. Luckily, it wasn't anything major but it has the potential to be disastrous.

Also, any site that doesn't let you paste in passwords for 'security reasons' is wrong.

Never heard of Authy before this thread. Looks leaps and bounds better than Google Authenticator

Going to be a fun morning trying to move all my sites over

Absolutely worth it. Started using lastpass this year, and now I can't see my life without it.

I use a combination of 1Password (iOS and macOS) and 2STP to manage my passwords. Well worth it IMO.

Absolutely worth it. I use LastPass and it's been great. It's better than using the same 2-3 different passwords for everything.

A few years ago an app called oneSafe was free on the App Store for a week. Downloaded it and was super pleased with it. I keep a back up of my passwords on a piece of paper I've hidden, just in case I do ever have issues with the app. It's worked out well for me.

sangreal said:

Never heard of Authy before this thread. Looks leaps and bounds better than Google Authenticator

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

In what way? I rather like Google Authenticator.

Yes absolutely, one more vote for lastpass.

Do you guys all use the password gen within Lastpass or do you use your own custom passwords? A little overwhelming trying to get this set up for the first time.

JC Lately said:

In what way? I rather like Google Authenticator.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Really depends on your use case. Authy has optional multiple device support and optional cloud backups so if you replace or lose your phone you won't have to manually move each account over.

Will I be good with just LastPass free? I can definitely afford Premium, I'm just too new to this password manager stuff.

I had my first scare with someone trying to log into my account a few weeks ago, but 2FA saved my ass.

JC Lately said:

In what way? I rather like Google Authenticator.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

The main benefit is that it backs up your 2FA registrations, so if you lose your phone you don't have to completely disable and reactivate all your 2FA stuff. It also syncs across devices, so I can have all my 2FA codes on both my iPhone and iPad with one registration for instance.