This password manager app is tracking you

Now that most of our daily business has traveled to the digital world, we have more online accounts than ever before. It’s hard to keep track of them all, from banks, utilities, social media sites and more. You probably know by now that you need a different password for every online account since if you reuse the same codes, that makes it easy for hackers to steal your data.

But remembering every single password is nearly impossible — unless you use a special manager. These nifty programs save all your passwords, so you only have to remember one: the key you type to enter the manager itself. Tap or click here for the full scoop on this critical cybersecurity tool.

Although password managers are supposed to protect your privacy, one popular option recently went under fire for overstepping boundaries. A tester found the app has seven trackers, which lets the password manager sell user activity to ad agencies. If you use this password manager, you need to know about this.

LastPass logs your movements

This password manager has long been beloved for its maximum security encryption. Plus, it works in tandem with your browser for easy logins. Now, it’s upsetting some customers because of a major restriction added to its free service.

Exodus, an online app privacy analyzer, recently discovered seven trackers in the LastPass Android app. Compare this to Dashlane, which has four and 1Password, which doesn’t stalk its mobile users at all. In other words, LastPass tracks its mobile users more than any of its leading competitors.

Most of the trackers are for keeping up-to-date on phone performance. This is normal stuff — but then there are the three other trackers, which send user data to third parties. Unfortunately, this is pretty common: many apps will track your phone activity and sell their discoveries to companies you’ve never heard of.

Thankfully, there are ways to stop these intrusive tracking practices and we have details on just how to do it. Tap or click here for simple ways to keep your private info private.

If you don’t want to be tracked by LastPass, here are a few other options we recommend.

Try these password managers instead

If you use Macs, Keychain is a great password manager. It’s built into the operating system, so you can enter your login information ASAP. Otherwise, here are some other options to check out:

  • LogMeOnce syncs passwords on Windows, Macs, iPhones and Androids. It has lots of features and displays ads. Still, it’s a good product.
  • Bitwarden is a relative newcomer. It works on Windows and Macs, but don’t use it if you have an iPhone.
  • KeyPass comes in four different versions: one for Windows, another for Macs and one for iPhone and Android.

As always, make sure you don’t forget the master key. You should also make sure you’re using powerful codes that are difficult to crack. A shocking number of people out there still use incredibly weak ones, like “password123.”

We get it — it’s not easy to create ironclad passwords for every account. But researchers have now developed an easy way to create strong codes that are easy to remember. Tap or click here for the secret to creating powerful passwords.

Tags: Apple iPhone, cybersecurity, digital world, hackers, operating systems, security