An important rule about passwords is “Use a different password for every service!” The reason for this is that data leaks occur again and again at service providers and passwords are thus tapped and passed on in the darknet. If a compromised password has been used multiple times, an attacker has access to all accounts that were protected with that password.
“Choose a strong password!” is another rule. The longer and more complex the better. In addition, passwords should be chosen randomly, if possible.
And how can you remember all those complex passwords? Password managers are helpful – not only for "remembering, but also for creating secure passwords.
What password managers do
- They provide an easy way to generate strong passwords via integrated password generators.
- They store a virtually unlimited number of strong passwords in a secure password database.
- Integrated auto-fill functions allow usernames and password fields to be filled automatically. The time-consuming and error-prone typing of long passwords is no longer necessary.
- You indirectly protect against phishing: If you store the websites of the services you use in the password manager, you can use it to access the authentic login pages directly without accidentally landing on a phishing site.
All you have to do is remember a single secure password: The password to secure the password database.
Choose a password manager with local database
There are many password managers out there. Cloud-based offers provide easy synchronization between all your devices, but they have a serious disadvantage: You entrust all your sensitive access data to the provider of the password manager and in general the use of such password managers is not privacy-compliant.
Therefore, we only recommend the use of password managers with a local password database. A very good choice is KeePass. There is a whole ecosystem of tools here, all of which are compatible with the KeePass database format, making their passwords usable on all your devices. You can also always choose another of the compatible password managers and switch from KeePass to KeePassXC, for example.
Specifically, we recommend:
You can find a selection of compatible alternatives here
KeePass and KeePassXC are also available in portable versions, so you don't need any installation.
