List of the Top 5 most popular password managers. See the main advantages and disadvantages of installing a password manager program.
 

Pros and Cons of Password Managers – Should I get One?

Password manager software has grown in popularity, owing to the sheer number of passwords people need to remember. However, the decision of whether or not to get a password manager application requires an assessment of the pros and cons associated with these applications. Below, we take a closer look at three pros and two cons:
 
Pro#1: Password Managers Are Convenient.

Good password managers will be easy to use and allow you to store your login credentials for as many different services as you want. By saving your credentials, all you will need to do is log in to each service once and automatic logins will be available for future use. The software will also eradicate instances where you forget your password.
 
Pro #2: They will Enhance Online Security

It is highly recommended that a different password is used for each service, yet the vast majority of internet users re-use passwords multiple times, because remembering dozens of passwords is unrealistic. With password managers, however, this becomes a reality. A password manager can also be used to generate strong passwords.
 
Pro #3: You Can Sync Across Devices.

The very best password managers offer the choice of using it either online or offline. When this is the case, the online component can usually be used to sync across different devices. This means that your chosen application can be used with your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet.
 
Con #1: Single Point of Failure.

Most cyber security experts agree that the single biggest drawback of password managers is that they represent a single point of failure. This means that if you get locked out of the application for any reason, or if something goes wrong with the application itself, you could potentially lose dozens of passwords.
 
Con #2: They Are a Big Target For Hackers.

Finally, the fact that people store all of their passwords in their password managers makes them a high-value target for hackers and other cyber criminals. While most password managers use encryption and other security protections, they are not fool-proof, meaning hackers could theoretically gain access to all of your passwords.
 

The Top 5 Password Managers.

Here we list the Top 5 most popular password managers. We have no association to any of the programs.
 
1. LastPass Password Manager.

LastPass is often viewed as the gold standard for password managers. It supports two-factor authentication, has a user-friendly interface, is available for a huge range of devices and will even analyse the quality of your passwords. It is free to use on all platforms, although an enhanced ‘premium’ version is also available.

Go to www.Lastpass.com to try Lastpass for free.

Considered by many to be the main competitor for LastPass, KeePass is an open source option, with a number of great features. The software can be used offline, preventing unwanted syncing, but support is also there for use across devices too. It includes a password generator, uses strong encryption and is completely free.

Visit www.keepass.info to read more about KeePass.

Another long-standing option, Roboform has been around since the late 1990s and offers a number of excellent features. It can be used on multiple devices, while it also supports multiple identities, allowing more than one user to make use of it. It is free to use on a single device, but multi-device syncing requires the paid version.

Roboform’s Free Version can be downloaded from www.roboform.com. Roboform also offers a Digital Wallet for cryptocurrencies.

Launched in 2012, Dashlane has grown in popularity thanks to a number of interesting features. For example, the software will alert users if a website they have an account on has been hacked, and allows you to quickly change that password to protect your account. It also has an emergency contact function, and the standard version is free.

Visit www.Dashlane.com to try Dashlane for free.

Finally, 1Password is a solid option, which offers support for many different devices, uses strong encryption and has a customisable password generator, allowing you to set certain prerequisites for passwords. With that said, it operates a subscription model, which may not suit everyone, and stores encrypted passwords on the cloud.

Go to www.1Password.com to download 1Password for free.

Share your experiences with, or questions about, Password Managers in the comment section below.

The post The Best Password Managers – Top 5 first appeared on Email Settings.

Learn how to recover your Gmail® password or Google® Account in a few easy steps.

Google® is very helpful with letting users recover their data, password and Gmail account, if the user has provided enough security information when registering his or hers account. If you have forgotten your password, then first try again paying special attention to typos, Uper and lower case letters and numbers. CHeck that your CAPS lock button is not on on your keyword.

If you need to recover your account, then begin at the Google Account Recovery page (previously located at https://g.co/recover). Enter your Gmail email address or your associated phone number to identify your account. Alternative, visit this Google Help page for a more detailed troubleshooter support page.

Bear in mind, that if have not used your Goggle account for over 9 months, it could have been deleted. idf thats is the case, create a new account.

After visiting the Gmail Recovery page, you have the following choices:

If you specified a mobile phone number for your account, when you signed up, you can ask for a verification code to be sent as a text message. This will verify that your are the owner of the account.

If you specified an alternate recovery email address, whn you signed up, you can request for a verification code to be sent to your recovery email address. Enter the code that is sent to your recovery email address.

If you did not specify a mobile phone number, or a recovery email, or don’t have access to that number anymore, you can choose to answer security questions instead.

If you don’t remember your Google Account Username (your Gmail email address or the part before the @ sign), then click on “Forgot Email”. You will then be asked to enter your associated mobile phone number or recovery email address.

Visiting the Https://g.co/recover url or https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery url will now redirect you to the recovery page at https://accounts.google.com/signin/v2/recoveryidentifier. It should look like this screenshot.

How to Recover your Gmail password by Verifying your Identity.

If you cannot access your recovery email, your recovery mobile phone, or could still be able to recover your Gmail® password by verifying your identity by answering security questions.

• Go to the Google Account Recovery page.
• Enter your email address and click on the “Continue” link.
• Choose the “I don’t know” option for the password.
• Choose the “Verify your identity” option (under all other available options).

TIPS for Answering Verification Questions:

• Don’t worry if you get it wrong and you are denied. If you get the “Google couldn’t verify this account belongs to you” message, then try again.
• If you are not sure of an answer, try the closest answer, you can think of.
• Answer all questions, even if you are not sure of the correct answer.
• Use a computer or mobile phone (and location) that you frequently sign in from. Google’s system can detect that you are using a IP address that you commonly log in from.
• Use the same internet browser that you always use for logging in.
• If the system asks for the last password that you remember, enter the last one you can remember one you recall. If don’t remember the last password, then enter a previous one that you do remember.
• If the system asks you why you cannot access your account, then include reasons such as: You changed your password recently and now you cannot remember it, you’re traveling, or you think that your account has been compromised.

G.co Recovery – Other Tips.

If you are working with Google® accounts, G Suite® or Google Apps® at your work, it could be easier to reinstate your account access by contacting the administrator at work to reset your password, so that you can recover your account.

If you don’t remember your username, you might be able to find the username in your web browser. Search your web browser history for Gmail®. It could reveal your email address. Your full email address or the part of it before the @ sign, is your Gmail username.

State your problem below this page, if you still cannot recover your account.

Image: © Google.

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If you are not sure what is considered a “safe” or “secure” password these days, a few good websites exists that will generate a random password for you,which is both secure and strong enough to frustrate any “brute force” password hack attempt.

Many other Password Generator websites exist, including one by Norton Symantec and Roboform, but they all basically do the same thing: Create a random password at a press of a button.
 

1. Passwordsgenerator.net.

This password generator at https://passwordsgenerator.net will generate a strong password for based on these optionable parameters:

Include Symbols: ( e.g. @#$% )
Include Numbers: ( e.g. 123456 )
Include Lowercase Characters: ( e.g. abcdefgh )
Include Uppercase Characters: ( e.g. ABCDEFGH )
Exclude Similar Characters: ( e.g. i, l, 1, L, o, 0, O )
Exclude Ambiguous Characters: ( { } [ ] ( ) / \ ‘ ” ` ~ , ; : . < > )
Generate On Your Device: ( do NOT send across the Internet )

What makes this generator a favorite is that it also will tell you tips on how to REMEMBER the generated password.

2. LastPass Password Generator.

The Password Generator at https://www.lastpass.com/password-generator is slightly different as it lets you decide whether to generate a password that is easy to remember (avoid numbers), easy to read, or with all possible characters.

3. StrongPasswordgenerator.com

The password generator at https://www.strongpasswordgenerator.com is included here bacause it generates passwords in your browser, so the password will never cross the internet. However, the passwords generated include all characters by default and can be hard to remember.

Add a comment below.

The post Password Generators first appeared on Email Settings.

Change or reset your Gmail/Google Account password in seconds. You may want to change your Gmail password, if you suspect that it it has been compromised or if you believe it is too easy to guess/not secure enough.

Similarly, a reset of your Gmail password may be necessary, if you have forgooten your Google account password. This is how you do it.

How to Change your Gmail Password.

1. Open Gmail in any internet browser and sign in.
2  Click the Gear tab (This is the small gear image in the top right hand corner).

3. Click on “Settings”.
4. Click on “Accounts and Import”.
5. Click on “Change password”.

6. Verify your current password.
7. Type in a new password.
8. Type the new password again to confirm.
9. Click on “Change Password”.

Please note, that you cannot change your Gmail password from your mobile phone within the Gmail app.

How to Reset your Gmail Password.

This is how you reset or recover a forgotten Gmail/Google Account password.

1. Go to http://www.gmail.com and click “sign In”. If your email username or phone number does not automatically appear, then type it into the field and click on “NEXT”.
2. Click on “Forgot Password?”.
3. Enter the last password that you remember and click on “Next”. If you have forgotten all your previous passwords, then click on “Try Another Way”.You will be asked to have a verification code sent the phone number associated with your Google account, or have a code sent to your recovery email address. Continue to have the code sent to you.
4. Open the email or text message from Google
5. Enter the verification code from the message in the verification code field.
6. If successful, enter a new password and confirm it.
7. Click on “Change password”.
8. Click on “ACCEPT”. You have now reset your password and now sign into Gmail with your new password.

Please note that if you could not remember a previous password or you could not receive a message at the designated mobile phone number, or recovery email, the system will ask you a series of questions to verify your identity. It will ask you to “Briefly tell us why you can’t access your account.” Enter your reason in details, for example, you have forgotten your password, or you think your email has been hacked, and click on Submit. Google will get back to you in 3-5 business days.

It is advisable to submit the account/password recovery from the SAME device or computer location/IP address that you normally use to access your account.

For more on the Google Account Recovery process, please see our Gmail Recovery page.

If you continue to have problems, then state your issue in the comment section.

Image: © Google.

The post Change Gmail Password first appeared on Email Settings.

How strong is your password really?

You may think that your current online passwords safe and strong, because you are using more than 8 characters in your password and both upper and lower case letters. Not necessarily so.

As hacking and account hijacking (with ransom) is the “new black” in organized crime, hackers are using more and more resources to crack easy passwords. Computers, as per Moore’s law, get more and more powerful each passing year, and will need less and less time to guess your password using brute force.

What used to be “safe” password, no longer is.

Fortunately, there are a few good password strength checker websites exists. Simply type in your proposed password, and the websites will let you know how safe your password really is.
 

1. Howsecureismypassword.net.

Howsecureismypassword.net can be found at https://howsecureismypassword.net. Its sponsored by Dashlane Password Manager, and the website will instantly tell you, how long it will take for an average computer to hack your password.

2. Kaspersky Password Checker.

This password checker is developed by Kaspersky Security, the Anti-Virus company. Find the checker at https://password.kaspersky.com. This chekcer takes repeated words/numbers into consideration (considered a no-no).

3. PasswordMeter.

Password meter  at http://www.passwordmeter.com, will give you a password strength score based on the following parameters:

Number of Characters
Uppercase Letters
Lowercase Letters
Numbers
Symbols
Middle Numbers or Symbols
Letters Only
Numbers Only
Repeat Characters (Case Insensitive)
Consecutive Uppercase Letters
Consecutive Lowercase Letters
Consecutive Numbers
Sequential Letters (3+)
Sequential Numbers (3+)
Sequential Symbols (3+)

Note, never use your actual password with password checkers, though the above websites are considered safe and secure. Use a slight variation of your password when testing.

The post Password Strength Checker first appeared on Email Settings.

How secure is my password? And, how do I choose a secure, safe and strong password?

Passwords are one of the most important aspects of our digital lives and are required by a huge number of services, ranging from email and social networking accounts, through to online banking and retail sites. However, it is absolutely essential that you choose a secure password, which cannot be easily guessed or cracked.

Although it is important to keep all of your online accounts secure, this is especially vital with your email account, because it potentially contains so much personal information. Below, we take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts.

It goes without saying, that you should avoid any of the passwords on this list. These passwords are unfortunately still in popular use, but are all very unsafe.

How to Choose a Secure Password:

Do:

• Choose a password that is at least eight characters long. The longer a password is, the harder it is for somebody to guess, or for a hacker to crack using specialist software.
• Make use of a combination of upper case and lower case letters, as well as numbers and symbols (if they are permitted). This will help to make your secure password more unique.
• Use more than one word, as password cracking software will find it easier to crack single-word passwords. You do not necessarily need to use spaces and it may be best to avoid using them between each word.
• Change your password regularly. In recent years, various high-profile email providers have experienced security issues, resulting in users’ passwords being compromised. Changing your password regularly will mean that even if somebody gains access to a leaked password list, the password contained within it will be out of date.
• Log out of your email account when you have finished using it. This will protect your account in the event that somebody gains access to your device and will also help to protect you from other data interceptions.
• Make use of two-factor authentication on any email service that offers it, as it will add an extra layer of security beyond your basic email password. This will often consist of sending an authentication code to your mobile number, which you can then enter to confirm that it is you attempting to log in.

Don’t:

• Use an email password that is identical to your password on another service. Re-using passwords puts you at greater risk, because a hacker who gains access to one online account could access others too.
• Write your password down, store it in any documents on your device, or share it with anybody else.
• Select any password that will be easy to guess by those who know you. For example, do not use a family member’s name, your date of birth, your favourite sports team, your phone number or your address. You should also avoid extremely common passwords, such as ‘password’, ‘pass1’ or ‘user’.
• Use the option for your web browser to ‘remember’ your password. The majority of browsers will store this information in plain text format. This means that, theoretically, anyone who gains access to your device and web browser will be able to read the password for your email account.
• Choose a password that you will find difficult to remember. While it can be tempting to use the longest and most complicated password you can, you want to avoid using a password that you need to write down somewhere, or which will be so secure that even you are unable to gain access to your account.
• Use a password that utilises an obvious sequence of numbers or letters. Examples of this include ‘12345678’, ‘abcdefgh’, ‘qwertyuiop’ and ‘a1b2c3d4’, but there are many more.

How Secure is My Password?

To find out how long it will take a computer to crack your password, visit www.howsecureismypassword.net. Enter your password and press enter, and the website will estimate how secure your chosen password is.

You can also check your password safety at www.roboform.com/how-strong-is-your-password and at https://password.kaspersky.com.

The post How Secure is My Password? first appeared on Email Settings.