Do you know what your LastPass Security Challenge score is? It seems like every week we hear of another massive data breach. And it often feels like there’s nothing we can do to stay safe. But we’re here to say: There are simple steps you can take, and now’s the time to take action. And one of the easiest things you can do, right now, is to use the LastPass Security Challenge.
The LastPass Security Challenge will not only help you figure out just how well you’re doing when it comes to practicing good password security, it will help you take easy steps to get even more secure.
So take the challenge with us this month: Find out what your score is today, and pledge to make it better by the end of the month.
Why take the Challenge? The passwords you use every day actually have a very important job to do. Just like the key you have to lock the door to your home, a password is a “key” for all of the accounts and apps you use. And you want to make sure that those keys are as strong as possible, because they protect things like your personal identity, your money, and your reputation. That means using the strongest possible key for every account. And it also means having a different key for everything you use. Because what good is a key if you’re giving it to lots of different people, who may be very careless with the key you’ve given to them?
100 is the highest possible score. When you look at your results, you’ll see a general score, which looks at all of your passwords and looks at how strong they are overall. The score also takes into account whether or not you’re using two-factor authentication. Your LastPass standing reflects how you rank compared to other people using LastPass, and your Master Password score tells you how strong your LastPass password is.
When you run the Security Challenge, make a note of what your score is now. As you start making improvements, you’ll be able to check back and see just how far you’ve come!
Take the Challenge
Auditing your passwords with the Security Challenge is very easy. If you’ve been using LastPass and have all your passwords saved in your vault, just login to your account. In your vault, click the “Security Challenge” option in the left-hand menu. After entering your master password again, the Security Challenge will calculate your score.
100 is the highest possible score. When you look at your results, you’ll see a general score, which looks at all of your passwords and looks at how strong they are overall. The score also takes into account whether or not you’re using two-factor authentication. Your LastPass standing reflects how you rank compared to other people using LastPass, and your Master Password score tells you how strong your LastPass password is.
When you run the Security Challenge, make a note of what your score is now. As you start making improvements, you’ll be able to check back and see just how far you’ve come!
Improve Your Score
Now to actually do something about that score. Here’s how to start improving it, and in turn improve your security:- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). There’s a reason it’s worth 10 points. Turning on two-factor authentication adds instant protection to your account. Even if someone were to somehow steal your username and password, they still can’t get in without the 2FA information. So head to your Account Settings and turn it on to immediately improve your score. See our article for more information on options available and how it works.
- Change passwords, automatically. On many websites, LastPass can change your passwords for you, automatically, with just a click. In your results, look for websites that are available for “Auto-Password Change”, and launch the ones you want LastPass to update. The new passwords that LastPass creates for you are automatically saved to your vault as they’re changed on the website. You can also use our password generator tool to create a unique password.
- Change your weak, reused, old, and compromised passwords. This is when you have to dig in to do a little bit more work, but LastPass will help you save plenty of time and frustration during this process. One by one, go through the websites that LastPass has marked as risky. When you launch the website, use the LastPass password generator to create a new one, and save it to your vault as you also submit the change on the website. As you use LastPass to generate new passwords, you can be confident that every password is different, and strong.
Run the Challenge again. Once you’ve taken the above steps, and started eliminating bad passwords, you can launch the Security Challenge from your vault again. You’ll see a higher score as your passwords improve.
