We tell you time and time again how important strong passwords are. But the reality is, most of us don’t take this simple privacy step often enough. With hackers out in full force, now is the time to update your passwords.
Set aside a block of time or even make it a weekend project. It may take longer than you want, but a couple hours of your time is well worth it to keep yourself safe online.
Read on for some simple tips from our sponsor, Roboform, to make the process easier. Save 50% on RoboForm Everywhere and manage your passwords with ease and security.
The best way to clean up your passwords
What are the biggest mistakes people make with passwords? Using the same one for multiple accounts and setting passwords that are simply too easy to crack.
The best passwords are unique and complex. Creating and remembering all those yourself is next to impossible. That’s why we love using Roboform, a password manager that does the heavy lifting.
Follow these steps below to clean up your online life and secure your accounts.
1. Launch RoboForm.
2. Delete duplicate logins. Do a quick scan of your logins to identify and delete any duplicates.
3. Cancel the accounts you don’t use anymore. If you’re like most people, you have more than a few online accounts you haven’t used in a while and probably never will again. These may seem harmless, but they’re actually a very real security risk and make you vulnerable to identity theft and financial loss.
4. Change duplicate and reused passwords. Identify any weak passwords or ones you’ve reused for different accounts—and change them to more secure, unique ones. If a password you’ve reused on multiple sites is exposed as part of a breach, cybercriminals will have access to all of your accounts that use this password.
Need help deleting your unused accounts? Tap or click to learn more about a site that makes it simple.
How can you tell what passwords are weak and reused? Visit RoboForm’s Security Center. Not only does it identify logins you’ve saved in RoboForm with redundant or weak passwords, it also evaluates all the passwords stored in your RoboForm account and generates a security score for your entire account.
Here’s how to change the weak links:
- Log into the site where the password needs to be changed, and navigate to the page where you can change it.
- If your browser supports autofill, click the RoboForm AutoFill Icon to the right of the new password field. Click Generate → Fill in the RoboForm New Password dialog.
- Save the new password on the site, and your existing RoboForm Login will be updated automatically.
If your browser does not support the autofill feature:
- Generate a new password via the RoboForm Generate dialog: Click the RoboForm Extension icon, then Generate.
- Copy and paste the generated password into the new password field, and save it on the site.
- In the RoboForm AutoSave dialog, confirm the old Login is being updated with the new password.
5. Get organized. It’s frustrating having to scramble to find the right login for your accounts. A password manager makes this much simpler. In Roboform, rename logins that have been saved with names that you aren’t likely to remember. If you have multiple logins for the same site, consider grouping them in folders on RoboForm to make finding the info you need easier.
6. Turn on two-factor authentication. This is one of the best steps you can take to further protect your online accounts. When you log into 2FA-enabled accounts, you must enter a passcode — in addition to your username and password. Make sure to enable 2FA for your RoboForm account as well.
All the hard work is done! Now you just need to stay in maintenance mode. Every so often, repeat the steps above. You’ll be glad you did.
Don’t struggle through password security — use Roboform to make it a breeze. Save 50% on RoboForm Everywhere and manage your passwords with ease and security.
