Question about password managers vs memory tricks after talking to my dad

I was on the phone with my dad last night, he's 67 and still uses the same password he made in 1998 for everything. He said he'd rather remember one strong password than trust some app with all his logins. That got me thinking, I use a password manager and love it but I can see his point about having all your eggs in one basket. What do you guys think, is it smarter to rely on software or your own brain for security?

2 comments

2 Comments

paigeg2225d ago

Yeah my dad was the same way until he forgot that one password he swore he'd never forget. I think the middle ground is using a password manager for things you don't care about as much and memory tricks for the really important stuff like email and banking. The thing with memory tricks is they get harder as you get more accounts, I had like 15 variations of the same password before I gave up. Password managers are super secure as long as you have a strong master password and two factor turned on. If you're worried about one basket, some managers let you set up emergency access so a family member can get in if something happens to you.

young.spencer25d ago

Read an article recently that said most people who get locked out of their accounts actually forget the answers to their security questions, not the passwords themselves. That really stuck with me because @paigeg22 you're totally right about memory tricks getting messy with tons of accounts. The emergency access feature is a lifesaver too, I set that up for my wife after hearing horror stories about people losing access to everything when a family member passed away suddenly. Password managers definitely feel like the least bad option once you have more than ten logins to keep straight. Just gotta make sure that master password is something you can actually type without looking at a sticky note.