MCC Daily Tribune

Tech Tip: What's the Word? Protecting Your Passwords Part Two

A password manager is a software tool that helps you by storing your passwords in a secure digital vault. According to a CNBC article, Internet users without password managers are three times more likely to experience identity theft than those who properly use them. 

Besides storing your passwords, password managers can also generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts. Since it is storing them for you, you don’t need to remember all those passwords. When you log in to your password manager, it will automatically fill in passwords to other sites for you! You just need to remember one really strong password – for the password manager.  

Another option besides the Google Chrome or Apple password manager options is a standalone manager. 

Choosing a Password Manager  

Reputable technology journals/sites issue their recommendations every year. In March 2025, Wired magazine published The Best Password Managers to Secure Your Digital Life. CNET published Best Password Manager in 2025 in February. Most recently, PCMag just published The Best Password Managers for 2025 in April. Many of these tools also monitor password leaks. They will alert you if you have a password which has appeared in a data breach so you can change it and not use it again.  

There is also no need to fully commit, either to the idea or a particular tool. It’s easy to start with what you already have and try it out with a single account and see how it works for you.   

Next week more on the emerging “passwordless” method, often called Passkeys. 

Ann Penwarden
Computing & Information Technology Services
06/12/2025