It is truly upsetting to see how few people use password managers. I have witnessed people who always use the same password (and even tell me what it is), people who try to login to accounts but constantly can’t remember which credentials they used, people who store all of their passwords on a text file on their desktop, people who use a password manager but store the master password on Discord, entire tech sectors in companies locked to LastPass, and so much more. One person even told me they were upset that websites wouldn’t tell you password requirements after you create your account, and so they screenshot the requirements every time so they could remember which characters to add to their reused password.

Use a password manager. Whatever solution you think you can come up with is most likely not secure. Computers store a lot of temporary files in places you might not even know how to check, so don’t just stick it in a text file. Use a properly made password manager, such as Bitwarden or KeePassXC. They’re not going to steal your passwords. Store your master password in a safe place or use a passphrase that you can remember. Even using your browser’s password storage is better than nothing. Don’t reuse passwords, use long randomly generated ones.

It’s free, it’s convenient, it takes a few minutes to set up, and its a massive boost in security. No needing to remember passwords. No needing to come up with new passwords. No manually typing passwords. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but if even one of you decides to use a password manager after this then it’s an easy win.

Please, don’t wait. If you aren’t using a password manager right now, take a few minutes. You’ll thank yourself later.

  • Preflight_Tomato
    3·
    29 days ago

    For privacy.com:

    • great for anyone in the USA
    • don’t worry about difficult subscription cancellations again, just turn that one’s dedicated card off
    • I have personally blown past the daily spend limit of 250$ without issue, idk if that limit is real. The 1000$/mo may be though I’ve never hit that.
    • I’ve used privacy.com for everything from Amazon to car insurance to gym memberships.

    On credit freezes:

    • a freeze means that your consumer report will not be shared, which means applications for credit in your name will be denied
    • all USA consumer reporting agencies (data brokers) are legally required to freeze sharing of your reports for free upon your request
    • you can temporarily unfreeze when you get a new credit card, apply for rental property, etc.
    • don’t let them upsell it or try to direct you to another page with similar language, it is free
    • credit monitoring products need to request your report to see if any new accounts have opened. Don’t monitor it, prevent it by freezing the reports
    • freezes are required for any data broker, not just credit. This includes LexisNexis (job history), and presumably the ones that do rental and vehicle ownership history though i don’t know their names.
    • helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
      1·
      28 days ago

      I was talking about the individual card limits that can be set, those definatly work.

      Edit, looking my account, I too have 250daily and 1000 monthy limit. The next paragraph might be be outdated?

      I know the total daily limit is “adaptive” or something set based on your spending habits. I’d prefer setting the limit myself, but it is what it is.

      • Preflight_Tomato
        1·
        27 days ago

        It at least used to be adaptive because at one point it went to 500$ for me, then changed back down a couple months later.