Without a doubt, each of us deals with passwords every day - they surround us almost everywhere, regardless of whether we use the Internet for business or private purposes. They stand "at the gate" of our data and ensure its security, so one thing is certain - the password should be strong and unique every time! And if we manage to create such a password, we must make sure not to forget it... Below we present the text by Szymon Kwaśniewski from the Support and Service Department, "Why is it worth using password managers instead of saving passwords in browsers?" The topic is certainly interesting for everyone and is worth analyzing in terms of the following aspects.
1. Security
Password manager vs. browser
Web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge offer a password saving feature, but they are not as secure as you might think. First of all, browsers often do not encrypt passwords in such a way as to ensure their complete security. This means that in the event of an attack on a browser or computer, passwords can be easily stolen and used by criminals..
Password managers like KeePass and LastPass offer a much higher level of security. Passwords are stored in an encrypted database, which can only be accessed using a master, highly secured password. Additionally, many managers offer features such as two-factor authentication (2FA), which further increases the level of protection.
Examples of threats
Password managers not only increase security, but also offer convenience of use. Thanks to them, we can easily manage passwords for various websites, generate strong passwords and automatically log in to our accounts without having to remember complicated strings of characters. Additionally, password managers can synchronize our data across devices.
2. Comfort and functionality
Simple passwords like “password123456” or “Sierpien2024!” are very easy to guess or crack using dictionary tools. Complex passwords consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special symbols are much more difficult to crack. For example, the password "H@sl0!0192" or "S!3rp1en6789" is much more secure than "password123456" and at the same time easy to remember.
3. Creating complex and secure passwords
Dlaczego skomplikowane hasła są lepsze?
Simple passwords like “password123456” or “Sierpien2024!” are very easy to guess or crack using dictionary tools. Complex passwords consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special symbols are much more difficult to crack. For example, the password "H@sl0!0192" or "S!3rp1en6789" is much more secure than "password123456" and at the same time easy to remember.
Avoiding dictionary entries
Dictionary entries are entries that consist of common words or phrases found in a dictionary. One of the password cracking methods is "brute force", which involves systematically trying all possible combinations. Therefore, it is worth avoiding words that can be found in the dictionary and avoiding creating passwords based on popular phrases, e.g. "qwerty" or "iloveyou".
Why no Polish characters?
Although it might seem that Polish characters would make the password more difficult to crack, they may cause problems with logging in on some devices or on various operating systems that may not properly handle Polish characters. Therefore, it is better to avoid them in passwords.
