To avoid potential breaches, look for a password manager that logs you off after a certain period of inactivity since a browser left open for several hours increases the likelihood of someone accessing your passwords. Theoretically, malware infection can still jeopardize even the best password manager and access online accounts using a local browser if the auto-login option is activated. These measures don’t eliminate the threat completely since a more sophisticated cyberattack still poses a danger to your most valuable credentials. The first factor is your master password, and the second is a temporary password for one-time-use only you receive on your mobile or other devices. However, for this system to work, it needs to be protected from both ends. The decryption process is conducted locally by using the client’s master password. Password management providers guarantee your master password is unknown even to them and is never sent directly over the internet.

The best password manager is the one that keeps your master password protected even from the software itself. This method involves storing an encrypted copy of your vault on their servers while the original is stored in your device. The other way to keep your passwords safe is by using cloud-based technology, which helps you sync all your credentials regardless of the device you are using.Ĭloud-based password managers are usually bound by the so-called zero-knowledge policy. All of the encryption and decryption are conducted on your computer or mobile phone. The first is based on “local” encryption limited exclusively to your device.

Whether you are looking for a password manager to protect your smartphone or are planning to install one on your PC or Mac, our advice is to get acquainted with how the system works. That’s where a password manager comes in. However, strong passwords are often devoid of any logic and almost impossible to remember. That is why cybersecurity experts agree that your passwords should form a random string of characters capable of withstanding attacks from hackers. The rise of spear phishing in recent years has proved that no account is fully secure as cybercriminals probe weak security measures for flaws.

Although we are living in an age of biometrics and other means of personal authentication, most of us still rely on passwords to keep our data safe.

The best free password manager app