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Don't Just Store Passwords – Monitor Them, Too

Amber SteelAugust 10, 2021
Don't Just Store Passwords – Monitor Them, Too
Security pros are always talking about the importance of picking good passwords that are hard to guess, and not reusing them. A password manager makes it much easier to do this. A password manager has a built-in password generator, making it easy to create long, strong passwords in one click. It also includes a place to store passwords and retrieve them when you’re ready to log in to an account, ensuring you won’t forget those strong passwords. But is that enough to keep your accounts safe and your personal information out of the hands of identity thieves? While better managing passwords certainly sets a strong foundation, proactively monitoring your accounts is also important. Knowing which passwords to change and when to change them can help you better mitigate the risk of hacked accounts or identity theft.

Keep an eye on the Security Dashboard

There’s a difference between thinking your online accounts are safe and knowing you’ve done everything you can to keep them safe. The LastPass Security Dashboard gives you a summary of your password security at a glance. If your score is in the yellow or the red, you’ll know you’ve got some work to do. Any weak or reused passwords are displayed, so you know exactly which ones to change. As you replace them with new, generated passwords, your security score will improve.

Enable Dark Web Alerts

It’s also important to know when websites may have put your personal information at risk. Unfortunately, data breaches are a common occurrence. Even when you’ve done everything right – like create strong passwords and turn on two-factor authentication – large-scale data leaks can still put you at risk of hacking and identity theft. With Dark Web Monitoring, you can be more proactive about keeping your accounts safe after a breach. From the Security Dashboard, you can enable Dark Web Alerts for any email addresses that you regularly use as usernames for your online accounts. If those email addresses have been leaked in a data breach, you’ll receive alerts both by email and in-product, so you know when you need to take action.

Be proactive, not just reactive

With cyber security, there is no finish line. You have to regularly make changes and use new features that will offer more protection, however incremental. Often, one of the best things you can do is find ways to avoid being the “low-hanging fruit” – don’t be easy pickings for would-be hackers. That means doing the basics and doing them well. A password manager is key to generating and securely storing passwords. The Security Dashboard offers reassurance that you’ve got strong protection in place and gives you the ability to take action as quickly as possible after a data breach to minimize any potential damage. Combining these two solutions ensures that you not only have a solid security foundation but that you’ll also be able to react quickly. Staying proactive means that you should continue to regularly tweak your strategy to stay ahead of the hackers.