Q. How safe is it to have my browser remember passwords for sites I visit? Are the passwords encrypted, or can someone access my account information easily?
—Lynne in Honolulu, listening on KHVH 830 AM

A. This is an excellent question, Lynne. Many people store passwords in their browsers without thinking about security. And this can put them at risk for identity theft. Let's take a look at how Firefox and Internet Explorer handle passwords.

Your saved passwords in Firefox aren't very safe without a master password. They're stored in a plain text file on your hard drive. Anyone who sits down at your computer can access the passwords. All it takes is a few mouse clicks to display a list.

But you can beef up security with the Master Password feature. This will encrypt your passwords. Without the master password, the other passwords will be inaccessible.

You will need to enter the master password once per browsing session. You'll be prompted to enter it before visiting a site for which you've stored the password.

To enable the Master Password feature, open Firefox. Click Tools>>Options. Click Security. In the Passwords section, click "Use a master password."