How To Use Passwords In 2022 – A Simplified Guide

If you’re one of those people who use ‘password’ as their password, then this one is for you.

With more apps on your phone, the chances of you generating passwords for each service you use is going up. When you use the same passwords for all your services, it is not going to end well.

Vulnerabilities have shown us in the past that pretty much anything can be hacked. If you have a weak password or the same password for all your services, then you’re as good as exposed to hackers.

So what should you do differently when it comes to passwords in 2022?

Create Unique Passwords

Don’t use the same password for all the services you use.

Even if you shuffle between a few passwords, it still is risky. If someone gets access to your set of passwords, you’re going to have a bad time.

Regardless of how many services you have accounts with, create a unique password for each and every one of them.

This might sound tedious (it is), but the end result is worth it.

Create Complex Passwords

If you answered yes, then you have to act quickly.

These are some of the easiest guesses one can make when trying to infiltrate your service accounts.

And if you’re using the same password everywhere, things can’t get any worse than this.

The longer your passwords are, the better.

We are not asking you to create 20-character passwords (you can and we’ll show you how).

Create a 10-character password that contains lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols.

Be sure to use something random as well.

Here’s an example of a good password: gWks5@hf*(Pq

This password is only 12 characters long but is very hard to crack. The fact that it is random only increases your security.

But I have a ton of accounts?

All of us do.

Well, at least, most of us do.

While is hard to create a unique password for each and every one of your service and keep track of it, it is worth the effort.

However, there is one easy way to get this done.

*drum rolls*

Password Managers.

Yes, there are reliable password managers that can create unique passwords for apps and websites you visit and they can remember your passwords for you so that you don’t have to.

These password generators can create passwords according to your complexity, length and you can say what kind of characters the password can have.

In addition to passwords, most password managers also give you the options to store notes, credit card information and other details as well. 

The reputable password managers come with excellent security, so you don’t have to worry about any data breaches.

Can’t I Just Use My Browser?

Most modern browsers give you the option to store your passwords.

Both Chrome (popular windows and android browser) and Safari (native macOS and ios browser) give you the option to store passwords so that you don’t have to remember them.

But password managers offer a lot more than just storing your passwords.

Password managers remind you if you use the same passwords again and again. Though you can override it, we don’t recommend doing it.

Some password managers go above and beyond to even let you know if any of your accounts have been hacked. 

Here are some of our recommendations when it comes to password managers.

1. 1Password
2. LastPass
3. Dashlane

These are tested and proven for both ease of use and privacy.

Here’s a simple tutorial on how to use LastPass.

They bring a myriad of features like quick and random password generation, syncing between multiple devices, and a ton of other features.

All of these services offer both a free plan as well as a premium plan.

Though the premium plan is great with a lot more useful features, the free plan should be enough for most users out there.

So if I use password managers, I don’t have to remember passwords anymore, right?

No, you still have to remember one password. This master password is for your password manager account.

You can access the data in your password manager only if you know this master password. So be sure not to lose it.

Selecting A Good Master Password

All the things we mentioned about selecting a good password holds good here as well. 

Since this is the password that’s going to lock and unlock all your other passwords, be sure to make this one uncrackable. 

You must remember the password regardless of how long or how complex it is cause once you forget it, there is no logging into your password manager’s account, though other ways are available.

Most important of all, you must not forget your master password so make an effort to remember it by heart.

We hope you got an idea about how to use passwords in 2022.

Did we miss anything? Do you have some suggestions to make?

We’d love to hear them out. 

Let us know in the comment section below.