How to create secure, easy-to-remember passwords
Before getting to the heart of the topic and explaining yourself eat ricordare the password, it seems only right to give you some advice on how to create secure passwords (as well as easy to remember). After all, what good would it be to remember passwords and keep them in a safe place if they were then easily guessed by hackers? Below, therefore, you can find some simple tips that, if put into practice, allow you to create passwords that are secure and, at the same time, easy to remember.
One of the first steps to take is to create passwords that have one length between 15 and 20 characters: the longer a password is, in fact, the less likely it is to be intercepted. Another important aspect to pay attention to is use words that are not related to their private life. Forget, therefore, to use your child's name or date of birth as a password: even though they are easy to remember, these kinds of passwords are anything but secure!
When creating passwords to be used to protect your accounts, use words that include numbers, letters and symbols (!, ?, £, $, %, etc.) so as not to make them identifiable through classic dictionary-based attacks. Another aspect to consider is that of use different passwords for each account and change them periodically: by doing so you will significantly increase the security level of your accounts and lower the likelihood of them being hacked.
The tips I gave you in the previous lines are useful for creating sufficiently strong passwords. But how can you remember them? One way is to use the method of phonetic and graphic substitutions. In other words, just replace some sounds in a sentence with graphic symbols and that's it. For example, if you want to use the password "seiunmito", you could replace the "s" with "$", the "e" with "€" and "sei" with "6". The end result should be a secure and at the same time easy to remember password, similar to this: "$ alvator € 6unmito".
Since you are likely subscribed to multiple online services and websites, it may not be easy to remember all passwords using the aforementioned method. And it is precisely here that some tools come into play thanks to which you can remember passwords with a certain ease, without sacrificing your security. Now we are going to get to know some of these very useful solutions more closely.
How to remember passwords on your PC
The best way to remember passwords on your PC is to resort to specific programs, real ones password manager, thanks to which it is possible to keep safe your access data to online services, websites, social networks, home-banking services and so on. To access all the passwords of your accounts saved within these password managers, you just need to remember a single password, called in jargon master password.
Some of the password managers I will talk about shortly are paid, others are freemium (basic free but with some extra functions that are reserved for paying users): let's analyze all these solutions more closely and then choose the one that seems most suitable for you. to your needs.
1Password (Windows / macOS / Web / Android / iOS)
One of the best password managers on the market is 1Password, which allows you to store not only passwords, but also the data of your credit cards, those of your personal documents and other confidential information in an easy, fast and, above all, secure way. 1Password also offers the ability to synchronize data across multiple devices through the cloud, create separate "safes" that can be used by multiple users, and synchronize data via its servers or with cloud storage services such as Dropbox and iCloud (on Apple devices).
Unfortunately, 1Password is not free: you can test all its features for free for 30 days, then you need to subscribe to one of the available subscription plans: it starts at $ 2,99 per month.
To download 1Password on your computer, connect to its official website and click on the blue button Download placed in the box corresponding to the operating system in use (eg. 1Password for Windows, if you are using a Windows PC or 1Password for Mac, if you are using a Mac). As you can see from the 1Password download page, the software is also available as an app for Android and iOS.
Once the download is complete, you can proceed to install 1Password. Up Windows, open the file .exe just downloaded, click on the button Yes / Esegui and then install. On MacOSinstead, open the package pkg that contains the program, click on the button Continue, presses the button again Continue and then Install. Then enter the Mac administration password, click on the button Install software and wait for the program to start automatically.
After installing and starting 1Password on your computer, you can finally proceed with the creation of the account through which to start the trial of the program (which, I remind you, only lasts 30 days): press the button Try It free / Start my trial period present in the welcome window of the program, type yours email address on the page that opens, click on the button Continue and follow the instructions on the screen to confirm your account (basically you will have to type the code to 6 digits you received via email in the appropriate text field and then click on the button Continue).
As soon as you have verified your account, fill out the 1Password registration form by entering your name in the appropriate text fields (First Name) and cognome (Last Name) and presses the button once again Continue. Then create the master password, that is the access key that you will need to remember to access all the passwords that you will keep in your 1Password account, then click on the button Continue, type the master password in the appropriate text field and click on the button Sign In but I will access your account.
Once logged in, click on the tab Logins (on the left), presses the button capacitor positive (+) lead located at the bottom, select the item Password from the menu that opens (or one of the other available options, based on the type of login data you want to save) and fill out the form that appears on the screen to register the access data you want to keep in 1Password.
I remind you that 1Password also integrates perfectly with all major web browsers: start one of them (eg Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) while 1Password is in use on your PC, you consent to the installation of the official extension of the program and use it to automatically capture the login data to the various Web services that you normally access from the browser. More comfortable than that ?!
KeePass (Windows / macOS)
If the solution that I have proposed to you just now is not to your liking, try KeePass: it is a free and open source password manager compatible with multiple platforms and devices. It may be a bit more difficult to use than 1Password and LastPass, because it does not automatically synchronize data with the cloud (you have to "manually" save the data using cloud storage services) and it does not have official extensions for the browser (you have to choose among those produced by various independent developers), but it is really excellent and ensures a high degree of security.
To try KeePass, connect to the program's website and download the version you prefer. If you use a PC Windows, for example, presses the button Download Now located on the left (under the heading Installer) and wait for the download to complete (if you don't want to go through tedious installation procedures, you can also download the Portable of KeePass) and then download this zip archive to translate the program interface into cittàn (to do this, you will need to unpack it in the folder where you installed KeePass).
Then open the file .exe just downloaded and install KeePass following the wizard: click on the button Yes, then presses the button OK, check the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, click on your bottone NEXT for four consecutive times and then on Install e end.
After installing and starting KeePass, decide whether to enable automatic checking for updates by clicking on the button Enable o Disabled and then select the item New from the menu Fillet to start creating a new safe. Then click on the button OK from the box that opens, choose the location to save the encrypted database, type the master password you want to protect your passwords with and then click the button OK so as to keep "Top Secret" the login data that you will save on KeePass.
At this point, choose whether or not to print the emergency sheet (if you proceed to print the sheet in question, store it in a safe place) and then proceed to save the access data to your accounts: select one of the categories located on the left sidebar (ex. Internet, Email, Bank from home, etc.), presses the icon of key located at the top left and fill out the form that is proposed to you with all the data you need to keep. Finally, press on OK to save everything and then go to the menu File> Save with nome and select the folder to export the file to. If you want, you can save it in the folder of a cloud storage service, in order to synchronize your login data on multiple devices.
You use a Mac? In that case I recommend that you give it a try KeePassX which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best versions of this password manager for “bitten apple” computers. To download it, connected to its main page, click on the download link inside the box Mac OS X and wait for the installation file to be downloaded. Then open the package .dmg just downloaded, drag the KeePassX icon into the folder Applications macOS, right-click on the program icon and select the item apri from the menu that opens to "override" the restrictions that Apple applies to non-certified developers.
Then select the item New database from the menu Database, type the master password you want to use to protect your login data in the appropriate text fields and presses the button OK. Now, click on the icon of key located at the top left, fill in the form with the login data you want to protect and click on the button OK. Finally, click on the del icon floppy disk and save the database in the location you prefer.
If you want to integrate KeePass into your browser, you have to resort, as already mentioned, to extensions produced by third parties. Among the most successful, I would like to point out CKP for Chrome and Kee for Firefox, both free.
How to remember passwords on smartphones and tablets
Also on smartphones and tablets you can easily remember your passwords using the mobile versions of the password managers I told you about a few lines above: just download their official apps in the Google and Apple stores, log in to your account (or create one if you don't have one already) and that's it.
- 1Password (Android / iOS / iPadOS) - this is the mobile transposition of the most famous and appreciated password manager by users. The official 1Password app can be downloaded for free and it is possible to test its features for a trial period of 30 days, at the end of which it is necessary to subscribe to one of the subscription plans to continue using the service. 1Password has a user interface that facilitates its use and offers numerous features through which you can keep passwords for your accounts and generate secure ones using the password generator integrated within it.
- Keepass2 Android (Android) - is a free app based on the KeePass source code (which I told you about a few lines above) that allows you to easily manage passwords from your Android device. Being developed on the source code of KeePass, Kepass2Android unfortunately does not automatically synchronize data with the cloud and it is necessary to proceed manually using Google Drive, Dropbox or one of the many other cloud storage services on the square. I recommend it to slightly more "experienced" users.
- KeePass Touch (iOS / iPadOS) - is an application for iOS devices developed on the source code of KeePass that allows you to save passwords, create KeePass 1.x and 2.x files, create secure access keys and much more . It's free, but to remove the ads and use the automatic password synchronization feature, you need to make an in-app purchase of € 1,09.
If you want to learn more about the functioning of the apps to keep passwords that I have listed above, take a look at the tutorial I have just linked to you. I'm sure this further reading will also be very useful to you.
Other useful solutions for remembering passwords
If you have read up to this point of the guide, perhaps the password managers I proposed in the previous paragraphs did not meet your expectations. If that's the case, know that you can resort to other useful solutions for remembering passwords, or Google Smartlock and ICloud Keychain. Let's see together how to best use both solutions designed by Google and Apple respectively.
Google Smartlock
Google Smart Lock is a service developed by Google that allows you to save your passwords on the cloud and use them every time you log in from your Android device or when you use the Chrome browser.
To activate Google Smart Lock on your device Android, access the Google settings by going to Settings of your Android smartphone or tablet, scroll the screen to the bottom and press on the item Google services. Then scroll down to the Google settings page, press on the item Smart Lock for passwords and, in the screen that opens, move up ON the levetta dell'interruttore situato in corrispondenza della voce Smart Lock for passwords. Più facile di così ?!
If you want to activate Google Smart Lock on your computer, instead, start the browser Chrome (if you haven't downloaded it yet, click here to find out how to proceed), click on the symbol (⋮) located at the top right and, in the menu that opens, select the item Settings.
On the page that opens, click on the item Advanced located at the bottom of the page and in the section Password and Modules, pig sul sul bottone Manage passwords placed inside the section Password and modules. In the pane that opens, move up ON the first switch and then toggle up ON also the second switch, so as to activate the option Automatic access.
Have you seen how easy it was to activate Google Smart Lock on both Android and Chrome? You should now have no problem remembering which passwords to use.
ICloud Keychain
Apple also offers an integrated tool “standard” on its devices, thanks to which it is possible to store and remember passwords. Of course I am referring to the ICloud Keychain, a tool that allows you to save passwords on the cloud, synchronize them on all devices associated with your Apple ID and use them to more easily access Wi-Fi networks, websites to which you have registered and so on.
To activate iCloud Keychain on your device iOS, agreed Settings (the gray icon with gears located on the home screen), presses on you don't know and then tap on the item iCloud. In the screen that opens, tap on the item Keychainssposta su ON the switch located in correspondence with the item ICloud Keychain And that's it.
To turn on iCloud Keychain on MacOSInstead, click the Apple located at the top left (in the menu bar) and select the item System Preferences ... from the menu that opens. In the window that appears on the screen, click on the logo of iCloud, scroll through the list of options on the right and check the item Keychains.
I remind you that the iCloud Keychain is a feature available on devices updated to iOS 7.0.3 or later and macOS 10.9 or later.
Store passwords in browsers
For completeness of information, I would like to inform you of the possibility of store passwords in browsers (such as Google Chrome). Although this is a very convenient feature, I do not recommend using it because passwords stored in browser databases can be easily intercepted by cybercriminals.
If you don't believe me, take a look at the tutorial where I explain in detail how to find saved passwords in browsers and you will be surprised to find out how simple it is to do this.
Eat ricordare the password
