Can't remember passwords? Password management guide

This article was first published on the LIZHI.SHOP blog (lizhi.io, now offline) on 2018/7/29, and is being republished with appropriate adjustments.

A while ago, Apple released a "very dramatic" ad depicting what goes through our minds when we forget a password. In real life, forgetting a password won't make us feel like the sky is falling, but it does cause plenty of unnecessary trouble.

To help everyone manage passwords more safely and efficiently, I've put together some account and password security tips for your reference.

When setting passwords, I consider account importance at three levels:

Not important: basic passwords

Some accounts are at virtually no risk of being stolen, or are only used to temporarily try out a service.

Even then, avoid overly simple, easily guessed passwords, such as consecutive numbers or birthdays; even for less important accounts, try to use a unique password.

Slightly important: uppercase and lowercase letters + numbers + symbols

Some accounts need higher security, or the website or software itself requires a password of at least 8 characters containing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols; you can set it according to those requirements. The longer the password and the more random the combination, the harder it usually is to guess.

Very important: don't reuse passwords

Important accounts involving finances, privacy, and the like need very strong passwords, and passwords should not be reused across accounts.

This is especially true for email, payment tools, Apple accounts, and the like: once one password is leaked, reusing passwords can widen the impact.

To make them easier to remember, I encrypt different accounts using the same encryption method that only I know.

However, this method can still be guessed, so for accounts involving important information, it's better to use password management software to generate and store random passwords.

If you want to be even lazier, you can try the password management software below: remember just one master password and more easily manage login information across different platforms.

If you're looking for software from a clear source with reliable licensing, you can also first check out the relevant tools at LIZHI.SHOP.

1Password

An excellent cross-platform password management app, very secure and convenient. Apple once deployed 1Password to its employees, which was a kind of endorsement. It supports managing passwords across multiple devices, making it suitable for users who want to organize account information in one place.

LastPass

A long-standing password management program, based on a browser extension, suitable for users who often log in to different websites in a browser. It once drew attention for its fairly complete basic features and cross-platform sync capability; for specific features and support scope, please refer to official information.

Keepass

A fully open source password management tool with high security and controllability. Passwords are stored locally and can be synced through third-party software.

For users who value data control and are willing to manage files and sync methods themselves, KeePass is an option worth learning about.

Password management is an important topic we have to face. What password management tips do you have? Let us know in the comments.