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There&rsquo;s a lot of conflicting advice about how to manage passwords:&nbsp;

<ul>
<li>
Do you need a password or a passphrase?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Are complex or long passwords better?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Do you really need to change your passwords every three months?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Is two-factor authentication always better?&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>

Here&rsquo;s concise advice on exactly how to manage your passwords safely and securely.

TeamPassword is the easiest way to manage passwords. Don&rsquo;t believe us? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today and try for yourself.

<h2>7 steps to safely manage passwords</h2>

Password management isn&rsquo;t difficult conceptually. It&rsquo;s really a series of intuitive steps that help keep all of your accounts safe. However, some of the individual steps are tedious, and doing better at one sometimes leads to doing worse at another. For example, stronger passwords are harder to remember, leading some people to write them down on sticky notes or using other unsafe password storage systems.&nbsp;

Here are seven steps to better password management:

<ol>
<li>
<a href="#stop" rel="follow">Stop reusing passwords</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#check" rel="follow">Check if you&rsquo;ve been pwned</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#change" rel="follow">Change your passwords regularly</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#make" rel="follow">Make your passwords hard to crack</a>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
Consider passphrases
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
Employ a password generator
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#turn" rel="follow">Turn on multi-factor authentication</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#store" rel="follow">Store and share your passwords securely</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#use" rel="follow">Use a password manager</a>
</li>
</ol>

Note that, while the first six steps are critical to securely managing your passwords, they can all be accomplished automatically once you follow through on Step 7.
<h3 role="presentation" id="stop">1. Stop reusing passwords</h3>

There&rsquo;s no bigger cybersecurity mistake than reusing passwords. Unfortunately, despite warnings for more than two decades, people still reuse passwords.&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s totally understandable, too.&nbsp;

The average person has 200 accounts. The average password is 12+ characters long and usually gibberish. Trying to remember even one of those passwords is difficult, but 200 is impossible.

Still, there is no single better cybersecurity tip you can walk away with from this discussion on how to manage passwords than to stop reusing passwords. Step 2 explains why this is the case.
<h3 role="presentation" id="check">2. Check if you&rsquo;ve been pwned</h3>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-pwnd-what-to-do-when-it-happens">Have you been pwned?</a> Pwned is the industry term for your password being leaked online, and there&rsquo;s a friendly tool that matches your email address to all of the leaked password lists found on the dark web.&nbsp;

These passwords need to be changed immediately! If you reuse the same password on other accounts (like your bank website or email), then those accounts have been compromised as well. That&rsquo;s why you never reuse passwords.

The last thing you want is for your leaked Neopets password to give hackers access to your bank account.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/f2TdrDWTIyNvVHn1r5sI" alt="undefined" width="975" height="512">
<h3 role="presentation" id="change">3. Change your passwords regularly</h3>

At this point, you&rsquo;ve basically gone from your company&rsquo;s cybersecurity weak point to at least neutral. Steps 3 and 4 are really about bringing our password management up to best practices.&nbsp;

First, you should be updating your passwords regularly. That&rsquo;s because even the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2023/03/03/why-you-should-stop-using-lastpass-after-new-hack-method-update/?sh=75fdd4c428fc">most secure websites do get hacked</a>. Sometimes those password lists don&rsquo;t get released for months because it takes hackers that long to decrypt the password information and export it to a plaintext file.&nbsp;

By updating your passwords every three months, there&rsquo;s a good chance that by the time your hacked account is uploaded to the dark web you&rsquo;ve already changed your password and can safely ignore the security breach.&nbsp;
<h3 role="presentation" id="make">4. Make your passwords hard to crack</h3>

Passwords are usually cracked by two methods, <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-a-brute-force-attack-and-are-you-at-risk">brute force</a> or dictionary attacks. Brute force attacks start at 11111111, then 11111112, and so on until the password is discovered. Basically, it tries every possible password in sequential order.

Dictionary attacks use a list of commonly used passwords such as &ldquo;password&rdquo; or &ldquo;qwerty&rdquo;, as well as the derivatives such as &ldquo;passw0rd&rdquo; or &ldquo;QwErTy&rdquo;. They can also include customized lists that come from <a href="https://www.enisa.europa.eu/topics/incident-response/glossary/what-is-social-engineering">social engineering</a>, for example your pet&rsquo;s name, the street you grew up on, or your birthday.&nbsp;

Most cyberattacks start with the standard dictionary attack, move on to social engineering lists, and finish with a brute force attack.&nbsp;

The single best way to prevent these attacks is to use a random, strong password that is at least 12 characters long, but the longer, the better. Here are two ways that can help you make your passwords hard to crack.
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<h4 role="presentation">Consider passphrases</h4>
</li>
</ol>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-a-passphrase">Passphrases</a> are passwords that come from putting three or four medium to long words together and then mixing in capitalization and special characters, for example &ldquo;D0g-Baseball-Co1n-Sh3lf!&rdquo;. Passphrases help manage passwords by making long, secure passwords easier to remember.&nbsp;

<ol start="2">
<li style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<h4 role="presentation">Employ a password generator</h4>
</li>
</ol>

If you can&rsquo;t come up with 200+ random passwords on your own, then use a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/strong-password-generator">password generator</a>. This helps guarantee you won&rsquo;t fall into lazy patterns of reusing passwords or making them easy to remember.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/JedfgOqS4CFNXBUr9W9U" alt="undefined" width="975" height="512">
<h3 role="presentation" id="turn">5. Turn on multi-factor authentication</h3>

Multi-factor authentication (<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/maximize-security-with-2fa">MFA</a>) forces individuals to prove their identity in more than one way, first with a password and then some sort of secondary confirmation. The most common MFA systems are SMS message, email, authentication app, and phone call.&nbsp;

Of these methods, authentication apps are the most secure as a separate system only used for authentication. Since phone numbers and email addresses can be compromised, they are not recommended when the option to use an authentication app is available.

However, even though SMS and email are not preferred MFA systems, they are still better than no second authentication requirement!&nbsp;
<h3 role="presentation" id="store">6. Store and share your passwords securely</h3>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-best-ways-to-store-passwords-2023">Store your passwords somewhere safe.</a> The best place to store written backups is in a safe (and definitely not on a sticky note on your computer monitor). The best way to manage passwords online is using a password manager (and definitely not an unsecure Google Sheets list).&nbsp;

When it comes to sharing passwords, remember that emails can be compromised, as can text messages, Facebook chats, etc. If your password manager doesn&rsquo;t have a password sharing function and you really need to share accounts, consider making a phone call and then change the password when your friend/colleague/family member is done using your account.

<h3 role="presentation" id="use">7. Use a password manager</h3>

The first six steps are how to manage passwords securely. If you want to know how to manage passwords securely and easily, then here it is: use a password manager. Password managers have built in password generators to help you pick strong, random passwords. They store those passwords for you. Password managers also make it easier to change passwords when needed.&nbsp;

If you plan to share accounts, then you need a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/best-password-managers-for-teams">password manager designed for teams</a>. That way accounts can be shared securely, so one team member doesn&rsquo;t unintentionally leak your account credentials by sharing them via email or leaving them on a sticky note on their laptop.
 
<h2>How to manage passwords FAQ</h2>

Here are some frequently asked questions about how to manage passwords online.
<h3>Why do you need a strong password?</h3>

Your accounts are only as secure as the passwords chosen. They need to be long and complex to protect your data.
<h3>How do you create a strong password?</h3>

The easiest way to create strong, random passwords is to use a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">free password generator</a>.
<h3>How often should you change your passwords?</h3>

Recommendations vary, but changing your passwords every three months is generally considered acceptable.&nbsp;
<h3>Should you use passwords or passphrases?</h3>

Passphrases make it easy to remember longer, and therefore more secure, passwords. If you need to remember your password, passphrases are probably easier.&nbsp;
<h3>Do you need a password manager?</h3>

Password managers are the most secure way to store passwords. They also make it easier to use a new strong, random password for every account by remembering all of them for you.
<h3>Should you use your browser password manager or a separate one?&nbsp;</h3>

Browser password managers have two main deficiencies. First, they make it hard to use the same password list across all of your devices. Second, they don&rsquo;t have password sharing features.&nbsp;

For many individual users, these features aren&rsquo;t necessary. However, for companies where multiple employees share key accounts, separate password managers like TeamPassword bring time-saving features and improved cybersecurity.
<h2>TeamPassword is the best way to manage your passwords</h2>

Managing passwords is usually a six-step process. You use unique passwords for every account, make sure you haven&rsquo;t been pwned, update the passwords regularly, make sure those passwords are hard to crack, turn on multi-factor authentication, and store and share passwords securely.&nbsp;

That&rsquo;s a lot of work. It also goes against human nature. Difficult to crack passwords are hard to remember, so you need to write them all down&mdash;but writing them down violates another step.&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s the one-step method to better manage your passwords: use a password manager. TeamPassword generates strong, unique passwords for each account, stores them securely, updates the passwords when necessary, and makes it possible to share them with teammates securely.

TeamPassword is designed to help teams manage passwords. Don&rsquo;t believe us? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today and try for yourself.
 
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If one member of your team uses a weak password, it exposes your entire network to threats. Likewise, if one member of your team reuses their strong password elsewhere and it is <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-pwnd-what-to-do-when-it-happens">pwned</a>, then your entire network is exposed.&nbsp;
Passwords have become the main point of entry for hackers. Any password complex enough to garner security cannot be remembered easily, and with an ever-increasing number of passwords being needed, users often <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reuse</a> them, which is a huge security risk.&nbsp;
Between weak and reused passwords, your network is far less secure than it would be by design. The first step in rectifying this situation is to audit passwords on your network. 
<h2>What is a Password Audit?</h2>
A password audit is simply using similar software as hackers to test your network against <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-truth-about-terrible-passwords">dictionary attacks</a>, <a href="about:blank">brute force attacks</a>, and more.&nbsp;
Special software is used to audit passwords. They attempt to break into your network similarly to nefarious actors to show you all of your password vulnerabilities, from weak passwords to pwned passwords, so that your network can realize maximum security.&lrm;
<h2>Why Audit Passwords?</h2>
The fact is that passwords are fatally flawed: they need to be complex and unique, they need to be different for each site, you need to remember them, and you shouldn&rsquo;t store them somewhere unsafe like on a post-it note on your monitor or an <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-or-excel">Excel</a> file. Human nature is hard to avoid, and it runs counter to the aim of secure passwords.&nbsp;
Of course, a strong <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/whats-the-best-small-business-password-manager">password manager</a> helps, but before you get the most out of the added security and convenience of a password manager, you need to be confident that the passwords being used to access your network are secure.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s assume everyone on your team understands that they shouldn&rsquo;t reuse passwords and have chosen a unique one for their work login, as well as the logins for all the tools they use at work. That&rsquo;s great.
Let&rsquo;s assume you enforce password complexity to maximize security. That means everyone must choose a password with a minimum length of 12 characters and that it must have at least one each of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and a set of characters. That is, it meets the following requirements:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Lowercase letter {abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Uppercase letter {ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ}</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Number {0123456789}</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Character {!@#$%^&amp;*()_+{}|:"&lt;&gt;?~`-=[]\;',./}</li>
</ul>
That&rsquo;s great, too. But, is it enough? Well, to crack that password by trying 20,000,000,000 attempts per second, which is easily accomplished using a cloud computing platform, would take a maximum of approximately 6,600 years and an average of half that, or 3,300 years. Problem solved, right?&nbsp;
Well, it depends on what kind of passwords your team is choosing. If they are picking truly random passwords, then it is unlikely anyone will ever crack those codes. But there&rsquo;s a difference between passwords that can be brute force attacked and those that are easy to guess. For example, &ldquo;Password#333&rdquo; matches the requirements but isn&rsquo;t going to take any longer than &ldquo;password&rdquo; to guess.
To understand this fully, we need to understand the difference between a brute force attack and a dictionary attack. The brute force attack starts with &ldquo;aaaaaaaaaaaa,&rdquo; then &ldquo;aaaaaaaaaaab,&rdquo; and so on until the password is found.&nbsp;
A dictionary attack, conversely, tries every word in a dictionary. Although these dictionaries might include the entire Oxford English Dictionary, they go well beyond that and include the words commonly used as passwords and variations of those passwords. For example, in addition to &ldquo;password,&rdquo; they might include &ldquo;p4ssw0rd&rdquo;, &ldquo;pa55word&rdquo;, &ldquo;passwordpassword,&rdquo; etc.&nbsp;
Passwords need to be safe from both, and auditing passwords will tell you whether you have either issue.
Don't let your company fall victim to extortion emails, credential stuffing, or any other password vulnerability. Let <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> take care of security while you focus on growing a successful business!
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test TeamPassword with your team members today.
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2>How do you Audit Passwords?</h2>
To audit passwords, you need to use specialized software. We provide a list of several popular tools to audit passwords in the following section. But how do they work?
Essentially, the password auditing tools attempt to guess the passwords being used on your network. They do this through a combination of dictionary and brute force attacks, among other attacks, and then notify you about any other ways that the passwords might be compromised, for example, by being pwned.
Once you have performed a password audit, you can then notify any users whose passwords have been compromised or too weak so that they can change them.
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2>What are some tools to audit passwords?</h2>
You&rsquo;ve decided to audit the passwords on your network, but what program should you use? Here are five popular password auditing apps.&nbsp;
<h3>RainbowCrack</h3>
<a href="http://project-rainbowcrack.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">RainbowCrack</a> is based on Phillippe Oechslin&rsquo;s faster time-memory trade-off technique. It is a brute force hash cracker that generates all possible plaintexts and then computes the corresponding hashes on the fly. Next, it compares the hashes to the one that needs to be cracked.&nbsp;
If a match has been found, then the plaintext has also been found. Conversely, if all possible plaintexts have been tested, but no match has been found, then the plaintext has not been found.&nbsp;
RainbowCrack requires a pre-computation stage that involves time-consuming computations.
<h3>Wfuzz</h3>
<a href="https://github.com/xmendez/wfuzz#wfuzz---the-web-fuzzer:~:text=Wfuzz%20%2D%20The%20Web%20Fuzzer" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Wfuzz</a> is another tool designed to brute force attack web applications. It was originally created to assess web applications, but it can also be used to find hidden resources, e.g., directories, servlets, and scripts.
<h3>Cain and Abel</h3>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel_(software)" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Cain and Abel</a> is a password recovery tool. It is available for Microsoft operating systems. It can help recover lost passwords by using several types of attacks. These include dictionary attacks, brute force attacks, and cryptanalysis attacks.&nbsp;
It can also decode scrambled passwords, record VoIP conversations, reveal password boxes, uncover cached passwords, recover wireless network keys, and analyze routing protocols.
Cain and Abel was originally developed for use by network administrators, teachers, security consultants, forensic investigators, network penetration testers, etc.&lrm; &lrm;
<h3>THC Hydra</h3>
THC Hydra is a common choice for performing brute force cracks of remote authentication services because it can perform quick dictionary attacks on more than 50 protocols, such as Telnet, FTP, HTTP, https, smb, and various databases.
<a href="https://github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">THC Hydra</a> is a fast network login password cracking tool. New modules can be installed easily to enhance its features. It is currently available for Windows, Linux, Free BSD, Solaris, and OS X.
<h3>Ncrack</h3>
<a href="https://nmap.org/ncrack/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Ncrack</a> is another fast network authentication cracking tool. It was originally designed to help companies improve the security of their networks by testing their hosts and network devices for poor passwords.&nbsp;
Because Ncrack enables rapid, reliable, and large-scale password auditing, it is also used by security professionals. Furthermore, it has a flexible interface that gives the user full control of network operations.&nbsp;
The protocols supported include RDP, SSH, HTTP(S), SMB, POP3(S), VNC, FTP, SIP, Redis, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Telnet.
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2>What are common issues found in when you audit passwords?</h2>
<h3>Weak Passwords</h3>
Weak passwords are too short, too simple, or too common.&nbsp;
The too short and/or too common passwords can be found easily through brute force attacks because the total number of testable passwords before hitting the correct password combination is too low compared to modern computing as a service capabilities.&nbsp;
Too common passwords, for example, your child&rsquo;s name, are highly vulnerable to dictionary attacks.&nbsp;
Whichever type of weak passwords is found, all affected passwords should be changed immediately.
<h3>Compromised Passwords</h3>
A &ldquo;pwned&rdquo; password is one that has been leaked online. This is when a username and password combination has been hacked on some site, so hackers can integrate those credentials into the ones they test when trying to break into other networks.&nbsp;
Since people regularly reuse passwords despite all recommendations against the practice, these pwned passwords are likely to show up on your network, and they need to be changed asap.
<h3>Identical Passwords</h3>
If the same password is being used for several accounts, this is another risk that can be found during password audits. Be sure to replace these repeated credentials.
<h3>Expired Passwords</h3>
Depending on security requirements, passwords can expire. If expired passwords are being found, then they need to be changed. A good password audit will show currently expired as well as soon-to-be expired passwords.
Whatever issues are found during your password audit, the best thing you can do to prevent further issues is to help your users create strong passwords by providing a password manager. Only with <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> can you facilitate your team in being proactive participants in network security.&nbsp;
The best way to secure your IT infrastructure is to use a password manager that includes sharing features. TeamPassword offers AES 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication so that only the right people can make sense of the passwords.
Before anyone can access the list of shared passwords, they must log in to the platform using their personal password and, should you choose to enforce multi-factor authentication (which we recommend), a short-term authentication code.
Teams often need to share passwords to access mutual accounts, but you don't have to put your data at risk to make this possible. Instead, use<a href="https://teampassword.com/"> TeamPassword</a> to securely generate, store, and share passwords within a team.&nbsp;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test TeamPassword with your team members today.

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Passphrases are the newest way to create passwords. They are often considered more secure and easier to remember than traditional passwords, but what exactly is a passphrase? Simply put, passphrases are passwords created by putting multiple common words together instead of a randomly generated set of letters, numbers, and characters.
Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know about passphrases to decide if you should use them.
<ul>
<li>Passphrases are often better than passwords because they are longer.</li>
<li>Using unrelated words and adding characters and numbers makes passphrases more secure.</li>
<li>You should never use the same passphrase for multiple accounts.</li>
<li>A password manager can help you store and share your unique passphrases.</li>
</ul>
TeamPassword is the best way to store passphrases online. Don&rsquo;t believe us? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today and try for yourself.
<h3>Table of Contents</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="#what" rel="follow">What is a passphrase?</a></li>
<li><a href="#how" rel="follow">How secure are passphrases?</a></li>
<li><a href="#pros" rel="follow">The pros and cons of passphrases</a></li>
<li><a href="#should" rel="follow">Should I use a passphrase?</a></li>
<li><a href="#8" rel="follow">8 steps to creating and remembering a strong passphrase</a></li>
<li><a href="#TeamPassword" rel="follow">TeamPassword is the best way to store and share passphrases and passwords</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="what" is="" a="" passphrase="">What is a passphrase?</h2>

It seems like everyday we hear about a new &ldquo;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-the-future-of-passwords" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">future of passwords</a>&rdquo; concept, from single sign on (SSO) to biometrics or multi-factor authentication (MFA). Unlike all of these other solutions, passphrases are really a low-tech way to make passwords more secure and easier to remember.&nbsp;

Simply put, passphrases are a set of three to five words put together to create a very long and therefore secure password. Here&rsquo;s an example:

Passphrase example: MonkeyPlainsMilkEurope

At 22 characters long, it&rsquo;s already pretty secure. However, you could make it more secure by substituting numbers and characters.

Passphrase example: Monkey.Pl4ins.Milk.Eur0pe!

What&rsquo;s really valuable is how much easier it is to remember. In fact, you&rsquo;ll probably remember &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; a week from now.
<h3>Passphrase vs. password</h3>
Passphrases are a set of common words put together and used as a password. Conversely, when looking at a password, it&rsquo;s a random jumble of letters, numbers, and characters.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s an example from our <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">free password generator</a>: ac=oei$EdrN5`2k

There&rsquo;s no question that is a hard password to guess, but is it really that secure? At 15 characters long and no discernable pattern for a dictionary attack, it would force computers to run a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-a-brute-force-attack-and-are-you-at-risk" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">brute force attack</a>.&nbsp;

However, even the simplest passphrase could be more secure. Our example above, Monkey.Pl4ins.Milk.Eur0pe!, is also changed enough to make a dictionary attack impossible, is far longer (24 characters), and is easy to remember.&nbsp;

In fact, you might never forget &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; again!&nbsp;
<h3>The problems with passwords</h3>

<a href="https://xkcd.com/936/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">XKCD</a> summarized the problem with traditional passwords in one of their comics. Essentially, passwords are usually not long enough to trick computers running brute force attacks, but they are still too long and complicated for humans to remember.

That&rsquo;s completely backwards.

Ideally, we want easy for humans, hard for computers passwords and not the other way around. That&rsquo;s where passphrases come in. &ldquo;Monkey.Pl4ins.Milk.Eur0pe!&rdquo; is very, very hard for a computer to crack, while you&rsquo;ve probably memorized for life &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; at this point.
<h2 id="how" secure="" are="" passphrases="">How secure are passphrases?</h2>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-secure-is-my-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Passwords are only as secure as the way they are stored.</a> That&rsquo;s the same for passphrases. If you have a super complicated password on a sticky note in the corner of your monitor, then you do not have a secure password. Since passphrases are easier to remember, they are often stored in the brain, making them more secure than equally long random passwords.

That being said, most people require hundreds of passwords, and even though passphrases are easier to remember, that doesn&rsquo;t make 200 of them easy to remember.&nbsp;
<h2 id="pros" and="" cons="" of="" passphrases="">The pros and cons of passphrases</h2>
Passphrases can certainly be considered better in a lot of ways than passwords. However, they have some of the same shortcomings. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of passphrases.
<h3>The advantages of passphrases</h3>

Let&rsquo;s look at the two main advantages of passphrases:

<ol>
<li>
Passphrases are easy to remember.
</li>
<li>
Passphrases are long and complex.
</li>
</ol>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/pS4AyqRbqFiMkvSdRjbQ" alt="undefined">
<h4>Passphrases are easy to remember</h4>

No human can remember passwords that look like the example above, &ldquo;ac=oei$EdrN5`2k&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s just too hard. However, you can probably already say the passphrase we&rsquo;ve been using without reading it, &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo;.
<h4>Passphrases are long and complex</h4>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/lets-talk-about-password-complexity" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Password complexity</a> really comes down to two points:

<ol>
<li>
Longer is more complex.
</li>
<li>
Using more types of characters (upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and character) is more complex.
</li>
</ol>

Of these, the first point is more important. That&rsquo;s why just &ldquo;MonkeyPlainsMilkEurope&rdquo; is already a very strong password. Changing it to &ldquo;Monkey.Pl4ins.Milk.Eur0pe!&rdquo; brings the complexity level even higher.

Comparing both to a very complex password like &ldquo;ac=oei$EdrN5`2k&rdquo; above shows how much more complex a passphrase can be.&nbsp;
<h3>The disadvantages of passphrases</h3>

It&rsquo;s hard to come up with specific disadvantages of passphrases. However, it is important to remember that they still have three of the same big vulnerabilities as passwords:

<ol>
<li>
A passphrase is not necessarily more secure.
</li>
<li>
Passphrases are still vulnerable to the same storage mistakes.
</li>
<li>
A passphrase is easy to remember, but hundreds are not.
</li>
</ol>
<h3>A passphrase is not necessarily more secure</h3>

Remember that dictionary attacks exist. If you pick words that are commonly used in passwords to make your passphrase, then you are at risk of dictionary attack. For example, &ldquo;PasswordPasswordPassword&rdquo; is still going to be cracked in seconds. If your words are short, for example &ldquo;DogIceUp&rdquo;, then you still have an easy-to-crack password.
<h3>Passphrases are still vulnerable to the same storage mistakes</h3>

If you store passphrases in unsafe locations, for example a sticky note on your monitor or a Google Sheets document, then it is still at risk of being stolen. If someone can find your passphrase, then it doesn&rsquo;t matter if it&rsquo;s long and complex.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/buKeFWj8RHe0Ju6BtO9r" alt="undefined">
<h3>A passphrase is easy to remember, but hundreds are not</h3>

You are probably getting tired of &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; at this point because it is stuck in your head. However, if you need 200 accounts, then it might not be the easiest task to remember 800 words.&nbsp;

If you cheat and use the same passphrase across your accounts, then <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">getting pwned</a> once means hackers have all of your information.&nbsp;

This leads to the next question.
<h2 id="should" i="" use="" a="" passphrase="">Should I use a passphrase?</h2>

Yes, passphrases are great. If you are looking for a super strong password for your email account or password manager, then a passphrase is a great option. Use a super complex passphrase to keep these key accounts safe.&nbsp;

However, it&rsquo;s not recommended to use passphrases for every single account you need to access. Trying to remember hundreds of passphrases is impossible. It&rsquo;s best to use a handful of passphrases to protect key accounts and then let a password manager remember the rest of them for you.
<h2 id="8" steps="" to="" creating="" and="" remembering="">8 steps to creating and remembering a strong passphrase</h2>

<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-build-a-passphrase" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Building a passphrase</a> is easy. Actually, it can even be fun!

Here are 8 steps to follow to create and remember a strong passphrase:

<ol>
<li>
Avoid common phrases: Using four random words can create a strong passphrase. Using a common phrase like &ldquo;TomBradyIsTheGOAT&rdquo; will leave you vulnerable to dictionary attacks.
</li>
<li>
Jokes are easier to remember: If you think something is funny, then you&rsquo;ll remember it. However, it won&rsquo;t necessarily be an easy to predict phrase for a computer or someone making a social engineering attempt. For example, &ldquo;NoisyGiraffeInfestation&rdquo; is funny but not exactly what you&rsquo;d think would go together.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Add an unusual word or two: This is the point where you pull out your thesaurus and pick one of the alternative words. For example, I&rsquo;ve always liked &ldquo;parsimonious&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;cheap&rdquo; to describe someone unwilling to spend money.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Avoid common password words: We all know &ldquo;password&rdquo; should be avoided, but did you know <a href="https://cybernews.com/best-password-managers/most-common-passwords/">ice, rice, tea, and pie</a> are the most common food items in passwords? It&rsquo;s best to avoid anything in the top 100 most common passwords at a minimum.
</li>
<li>
Substitute in numbers and symbols: Just like normal passwords, passphrases should also have upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Where possible, consider unusual substitutions to prevent advanced dictionary attacks. While &ldquo;4&rdquo; is often used for &ldquo;A&rdquo;, consider &ldquo;7&rdquo; for an upside-down &ldquo;L&rdquo;.
</li>
<li>
Practice typing your passphrase: Type out your passphrase 20 or 30 times to make sure you don&rsquo;t forget. Even if you&rsquo;ve memorized &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; for life, &ldquo;Monkey.Pl4ins.Milk.Eur0pe!&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t quite as easy. Since passphrases should be used to protect your most important accounts, you don&rsquo;t want to forget yours!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-your-password-the-importance-of-password-safety" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Update your passphrase regularly</a>: Just like all of your passwords, passphrases will eventually be stolen by a hacker. To protect yourself from stolen passphrases, update yours regularly (roughly every three months is recommended).&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="TeamPassword" best="" way="" to="" store="" and="" share="">TeamPassword is the best way to store and share passphrases and passwords</h2>

Passphrases are a great new way to create complex passwords that are still easy to remember. If you&rsquo;ve read this far, you&rsquo;ll never forget &ldquo;monkey plains milk Europe&rdquo; and that&rsquo;s the whole point. They are long and easy to remember.

However, it is still not easy to remember hundreds of passphrases, so use them for your core accounts and then let a password manager create, store, and update your other passwords for you.&nbsp;
 <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today to see why TeamPassword is the easiest way to store passwords online and share them with your team.

Passphrases use multiple common words to create passwords instead of random letters and characters, making them secure and easy to remember.

Passphrases are the newest way to create passwords. They are often considered more secure and easier to remember ...

What is a passphrase and should you use one?

Passphrases are the newest way to create passwords. They are often considered more secure and easier to remember than traditional passwords, but what exactly is a passphrase? Simply put, passphrases are passwords created by putting multiple common words together instead of a randomly generated set of letters, numbers, and characters. ...

You&rsquo;ve lost a password&mdash;an important password. This is an unthinkable, stress-inducing event in this modern digital world. But, it could be worse.
Let me tell you about Stefan Thomas. Stefan Thomas forgot the password to a hard drive that contains 7002 Bitcoins. For the very, very few people who still don&rsquo;t know about Bitcoin at the time of writing this article, that would be worth $160,929,066.60! Of course, when you read this, it could be a billion or zero, but this article isn&rsquo;t about the fickle nature of Bitcoin.&nbsp;
Imagine what you could do with that kind of money. Now, imagine what you would do if you forgot that password! Let&rsquo;s not get too drastic here, as I&rsquo;m happy to say that Stefan Thomas has made peace with the fact that he will probably never touch that money. (Huge respect for that self-actualization if you are reading this, Stefan!)
We are going to go through all the ways you can recover passwords, how you can use modern tools to prevent forgetting passwords in the future, and what to do when all else fails (hint, if you have to accept it is gone forever and at least you aren&rsquo;t out 160 million US dollars).
In our quest to become more secure, passwords become <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">less and less easy to remember</a>. Let&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> take care of securely remembering your passwords, so you never have to deal with a &ldquo;long lost password&rdquo; again.
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<h2>How to recover passwords</h2>
To find long-lost passwords, you need to cast a wide net. That means searching around your home, office, and all devices. We are going to start with the digital search and then follow up with some of the places where you may find an old password in the real world.&nbsp;
<h3>Search your web browsers</h3>
The first place to look for a lost password is your web browser. The way you find passwords is different for each browser, so we&rsquo;ll go through them one by one. Also, note that you may have switched which browser you use regularly at one or more points in time, so it may not be in the one you are using to read this.&nbsp;
In addition, you may have reused the password you are looking for (note: <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">don&rsquo;t reuse passwords</a>), so think about login info for sites you signed up for around the same time as the lost password.
<h4>Microsoft Edge (formerly Internet Explorer)</h4>
Open up Edge and click the three dots in the top right. Click Settings &gt; Profiles &gt; Passwords. Here you can see your saved passwords.&nbsp;
<h4>Firefox</h4>
Click the hamburger in the top right, then&nbsp;Settings &gt;&nbsp;Privacy and Security&nbsp;&gt; scroll down to Logins and passwords, and click Saved Logins....
<h4>Chrome</h4>
Click the three dots in the top right, then Settings &gt; Autofill &gt; Password Manager. You'll see your logins under Saved Passwords.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/zTlL2dWtQIaq587PJFwT" alt="undefined" width="827" height="204" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<h4>Safari</h4>
Open up Safari and then go to Preferences and then Passwords. You can then click on multiple sites and then select &ldquo;Show Passwords for Selected Websites.&rdquo; Once you enter your account password and follow the prompts, you&rsquo;ll be able to see your login information.
<h3>Search your email inboxes</h3>
Have you ever sent yourself an email with an important password in it (note: <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/top-5-dangerous-ways-to-store-your-passwords" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">don&rsquo;t ever email yourself passwords</a>)? Can you think of words that might be found in those files? If you sent any of these lost passwords from one account to another, would you know what email account you sent them from? Let&rsquo;s go through some of these prompts following the search instructions below.&nbsp;
Before you get started digging through your email, please note that many thousands of emails are hacked every year, and your passwords could now be available online in multiple places. Once you find your password be sure to change the information and find a more secure way to store it.&nbsp;
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<h4>Outlook&nbsp;</h4>
Select the search bar, located above the Outlook ribbon. Type a name, subject, or phrase which is included in the email message that you want to find. You can use quotation marks around a phrase to search for words in that exact order.&nbsp;
<h4>Gmail</h4>
For a simple search, just type the terms in the box at the top of the page. You can also click on the down arrow for advanced search filters. Then, click the search icon.
<h4>Yahoo Mail</h4>
As with Gmail, you can type basic search terms in the box found at the top of the page. You can also refine your search using the menu in front of the search box.
Whichever email provider you are searching, be sure to vary your search terms. &ldquo;Credentials,&rdquo; &ldquo;login,&rdquo; and &ldquo;password&rdquo; are all possible hits, but so is the name of the organization for which you have lost your password.&nbsp;
If that fails, figure out approximately when you originally would have made the password and try to search by dates. You can also search in your sent email folder, as you may have long deleted the received email, but the sent message might still remain.
<h3>Search through cloud-based services</h3>
It is probably repetitive at this point, but it bears repeating, all the same. Storing your passwords in a cloud-based service such as Google Drive or Evernote is not a secure way to manage your passwords. However, if you have done so and then lost your password, follow the steps below to search your services for those lost passwords.
<h4>Google Drive</h4>
The following instructions are for a desktop computer or an iOS device. You can bypass them on your Android devices and just search using Google Now.&nbsp;
Open <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-risks-of-storing-your-passwords-in-google-sheets">Google Drive</a> and log in if you aren&rsquo;t already. Then, type your search terms. You can then peruse the list of documents found. Google Drive will search document titles, content, and images by default, which could provide too many results. It is best to start with a narrow search and then expand if your search was unsuccessful. To only search titles, add the phrase &ldquo;title:&rdquo; to the start of your search query.
<h4>Evernote</h4>
Open Evernote and sign in. Click the magnifying glass on the left and simply enter the keywords you wish to search.
<h3>Search for files on your computer&rsquo;s hard drive</h3>
Some people write important passwords in a Word or Excel file or some other note-taking file. Have you done this at any point? If you can&rsquo;t remember, try searching your files for your lost passwords.
This can be done on both Windows and Mac.
<h4>Searching for files on Windows</h4>
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/7ltDMNRF7Elx11PfBCwf" alt="undefined" width="674" height="371">
Windows search, by default, doesn&rsquo;t scan all the files on your computer. To do so, before typing in your search query in Windows Search, perform the following actions. Go to the Control Panel and open &ldquo;Indexing Options.&rdquo; Select Advanced and then File Types. Select all file extensions you wish to search (.docx, .doc, .xlsx, .xls, etc.). If you don&rsquo;t see the options, you can add more. Click the radial option &ldquo;Index Properties and File Contents&rdquo; as well as &ldquo;Always Search File Names and Contents&rdquo; on the &ldquo;Search&rdquo; tab.
<h4>Searching for files on Mac</h4>
Mac is a bit simpler. Click on the magnifying glass in the top-right corner of your screen near the date and time or hit cmd+space. Then, type in your search terms and view the results.&nbsp;
<h3>Collect passwords from your mobile device</h3>
How long have you had a smartphone? For most people, the answer is longer than you have had a password manager like TeamPassword. During those early years of mobile Internet, did you ever store passwords in the note app on your phone (note: <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/top-5-dangerous-ways-to-store-your-passwords" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">don&rsquo;t store your passwords in a notetaker on your phone</a>)?
If so, you can use spotlight on your iPhone to search through your notes to find any lost passwords stored there.
<h3>Search for passwords around your home</h3>
Writing passwords down on paper can be as insecure as the location you store the paper. If you keep backup files in sealed envelopes tucked away with your 2009 tax return, there is a good chance that no one will find it.
That being said, if that password holds the key to 7002 Bitcoins, it is probably worth putting it in a bank safety deposit box.&nbsp;
If you work in a shared office, definitely don&rsquo;t write passwords on a sticky note and put it on your monitor!
But this isn&rsquo;t a time to judge. You can change your ways after finding your lost password. Here&rsquo;s a list of places in your home that might be hiding your lost password:
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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">On or under the desk in your home office</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In your home vault or security box</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In a filing cabinet</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Your kitchen junk drawer</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">That pile of mail that really should be put in the recycling bin</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Old notepads or diaries</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Old calendars</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Wireless routers (sometimes default WiFi passwords are on the back)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Your wallet</li>
</ul>

&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/TKRNK5xjSsSgwIcCOdY6" alt="undefined" width="739" height="493">
<h2>When all else fails&hellip;</h2>
When all else fails, take a deep breath and accept it is gone. If you find your password in the future, great! For now&mdash;for your sanity&mdash;just let it go. If Stefan Thomas can be zen about losing a password and over 300 million dollars along with it, you can create a new email account&mdash;and your boss can forgive you for a lost password.
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<h2>How to prevent lost passwords</h2>
So you have lost a password. Let&rsquo;s make sure that is the last time!
<a href="https://teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a> can make sure you never have another lost password. But that&rsquo;s not all. <a href="https://teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a> keeps all your passwords safe and up to date so that they are there when you need them.
Now, you can safely share passwords with teammates while ensuring that your projects are safe. With AES 256-bit encryption and DSS-compliant security, <a href="https://teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a> keeps all your assets safe, and you&rsquo;ll never have to search for a lost password again.

Say goodbye to the stress of lost passwords. Learn how to recover old passwords and prevent future forgetfulness with modern tools.

Learn what to do when you have a lost password and how to prevent a losing password in ...

How to Find a Lost Password from Ages Ago

Learn what to do when you have a lost password and how to prevent a losing password in the future to protect your personal data.

So you think hackers have stolen your password? You're not the only one. 
Perhaps you've noticed strange activity on your email account or frequent pop-ups on your computer. Perhaps it's just a hunch. 
But how can you know&nbsp;for sure?
There are many warning signs that you've been the victim of a data hack:
<ul>
<li>Your device is slower than normal.</li>
<li>You use more data than normal.</li>
<li>Videos take longer to load.</li>
<li>You received an email notification about a password change you didn't make.</li>
<li>An online account no longer accepts your password.</li>
</ul>
However, hackers can steal your passwords and identity&nbsp;without you ever knowing. That's why it's so difficult to tell if you're the victim of a hack.
This guide will help you work out if hackers have stolen your information and tell you how to stop it from happening again.&nbsp;
Prevent hackers from stealing your data by incorporating TeamPassword into your tech stack. This password manager for teams comes with a range of security features like two-step verification and password encryption.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;today.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How Do I Know?</h2>
There are various ways to tell whether hackers have access to your information:
<ul>
<li>Look for unusual activity on your account. This activity includes logins to your social media accounts from unfamiliar locations or mass messages sent from your email account.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for security emails from account providers that warn about failed login attempts or password changes you didn't make.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for changes in performance on the devices, apps, and websites you use. For example, see if videos take longer to buffer than normal.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look at your browser's password manager (if you use one) and check that nobody has changed these credentials.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
All the above can be a guessing game. You might have a feeling that you're the victim of a hack but don't know for sure. 
Checking a stolen password list like "Have I Been Pwned" clears up some of the confusion. This tool searches across multiple data breaches &mdash; when hackers take stolen passwords and usernames and post them online &mdash; to see if cybercriminals have compromised your personal information. 
Here's how to use this stolen password list:
<ol>
<li>Enter your email address on the main page.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Click "pwned."</li>
<li>The website will search thousands of databases to see if hackers have stolen your personal information.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Oh no &ndash; Pwned!" message, it means hackers have posted sensitive information associated with your email address (passwords, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) somewhere online.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Good news &ndash; no pwnage found!" message, it means the website could not find your information on the internet.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Note: Just because the website can't find your data on the internet, it doesn't mean hackers haven't compromised your personal information.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Password Manager for Small Businesses</a>

<h2>Which Passwords Did Hackers Steal?</h2>
Establish which passwords hackers stole in a data breach so you can take quick action. Websites like "Have I Been Pwned"&nbsp;won't&nbsp;tell you which passwords are at risk. You'll only learn whether hackers have compromised the data associated with a particular email address. 
Note: Sometimes, hackers might have access to your email address and other personal information but not your password. It's hard to know for sure.&nbsp;
If hackers have access to your data, it's a good idea to change&nbsp;all passwords&nbsp;associated with the compromised email address. If you use your email address for several online accounts, change the passwords for these services. Updating these passwords might take you a while, and remembering the new passwords leads to additional problems. (Keep reading to find a solution.)
Here are some other tips:
<ul>
<li>When choosing new passwords, use combinations of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords that use all these elements are stronger than those that don't.</li>
<li>Don't write your passwords down because this increases the risk of identity theft.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't tell anyone your new passwords.</li>
</ul>
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-most-secure-way-to-share-passwords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Most Secure Way to Share Passwords</a>.

<h2>How Common Is a Data Hack?</h2>
More common than you think. Hackers were responsible for more than 4,000 attacks every day in 2020, and the total number of compromised records exceeded 37 billion. That's a 141% increase from 2019. Much of this compromised data appears on the dark web, where cybercriminals use it to facilitate illegal activities such as identity theft and money laundering.&nbsp;
If you have been the subject of a data hack, you are not alone. However, it's important to act quickly to prevent hackers from accessing your personal or financial accounts.&nbsp;
There are other types of cybercrime to consider. Cybercriminals use techniques like phishing, where they impersonate people online and trick victims into handing over their personal information. Phishing now accounts for more than 80% of all cybersecurity incidents, and criminals steal $17,700 every minute in these attacks.&nbsp;

<h2>What Kind of Information Do Hackers Steal?</h2>
Hackers steal all kinds of personal and financial information:
<ul>
<li>Names</li>
<li>Email addresses</li>
<li>Usernames</li>
<li>Passwords</li>
<li>Addresses</li>
<li>Phone numbers</li>
<li>Bank account details</li>
<li>Credit card numbers</li>
<li>Social Security numbers</li>
<li>Insurance information&nbsp;</li>
<li>IRS information</li>
<li>Photos</li>
<li>Private message</li>
<li>SMS messages</li>
</ul>
Nothing is off-limits for hackers, and these criminals go to great lengths to steal your data. Once they have access to the information above, hackers can transfer money from your bank accounts, use your identity to apply for financing, and damage your credit file.&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scariest Data Breaches of All Time</a>.
TeamPassword is the best password manager for teams. Features include two-step verification, password encryption, easy password sharing, and more.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get a free trial now</a>&nbsp;and learn how TeamPassword keeps you safe online.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How to Stay Safe.</h2>
There are several ways to improve online security and prevent hackers from accessing your personal information:
<ul>
<li>Use the latest security software and apps when using devices and browsing the internet.</li>
<li>Carry out regular risk assessments where you evaluate your security software.</li>
<li>Back up personal data to a reputable cloud service instead of keeping it on your device.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't share personal information with other people.</li>
<li>Create a security management strategy for your organization and share it with all team members.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Using a password manager is another way to stay safe online. The best ones encrypt your online passwords so hackers can't access these credentials, and you can keep passwords in a secure cloud-based vault and not have to remember them. There are various password managers online, including free ones available through most internet browsers, but not all tools are the same.&nbsp;
If you work alongside a team, consider TeamPassword. It's the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager for teams</a>&nbsp;that require world-class security and performance. This all-in-one password solution helps teams like yours store, manage, and share passwords in the safest way possible.&nbsp;

<h2>How Can TeamPassword Help?</h2>
TeamPassword prevents hackers from stealing your organization's most sensitive data with an incredible range of password management features. Enterprises of all sizes use TeamPassword to manage passwords, including tech startups, digital marketing agencies, creative agencies, and software and development teams.
Here are some&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TeamPassword features</a>&nbsp;that prevent situations involving a stolen password:
<ul>
<li>Random password generation that creates unique passwords for websites.</li>
<li>Two-step password verification.</li>
<li>Activity and logging tools so you can discover who has access to password management features.</li>
<li>Secure encryption technology.</li>
<li>Email notifications about password management actions.</li>
<li>Passwords stored securely in one place. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Word</h2>
If you're looking for the answer to the question, "Have I been hacked?" it's difficult to know for sure. Preventing hackers from compromising your data in the first place provides a better resolution. TeamPassword lets you store and manage passwords in a secure environment and minimize the effects of a stolen password so you can avoid hackers stealing your data and continue to collaborate on team projects.&nbsp;
With features like password encryption, two-step authentication, and random password generation, TeamPassword is the best password management solution for teams that want to improve online security.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;now.

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from stealing your data. | TeamPassword Blog

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from ...

Have I Been Hacked? How to Know for Sure.

In an increasingly digital world, we&rsquo;re switching more and more of our daily lives over to the Internet. While this brave new world is exciting and convenient, it&rsquo;s not without its problems.&nbsp;
The issue of unsafe passwords has been around for a while. But have you ever thought about where and how to store them?
Most of us have several passwords, and we&rsquo;re encouraged to never duplicate them. Some people simply write them all down on a piece of paper &mdash; which is fraught with danger. But others store their passwords electronically.
As you&rsquo;re about to find out, not all electronic systems of password storage are <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-do-to-keep-passwords-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>. Here are five of the most dangerous ways to store your passwords.&nbsp;
But before we begin:
Avoid bad idea passwords and dangerous storage methods with TeamPassword. This advanced <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager</a> features a selection of security features, including password encryption and two-step verification. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">free trial</a> today.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Email</h2>
Have you ever emailed yourself a password to ensure you&rsquo;re never without it? Great idea, right? Actually, emailing yourself your passwords is a really bad idea, and here&rsquo;s why:
<ul>
<li>Emails are usually sent in plain text. Without encryption, your passwords are susceptible if your email account is ever compromised.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsafe passwords sent via email often pass through several systems and servers. There&rsquo;ll also be a copy in your sent folder. If someone else can access your email account, your passwords become vulnerable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Some email platforms store data locally on a drive. If someone steals your computer, phone, or tablet, your passwords become vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
A really bad idea for passwords is to send them via email &mdash; either to yourself or someone else. <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hackers </a>and scammers are more resourceful than ever, and they can often steal your information before you realize you&rsquo;ve been compromised.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s tempting to send a quick email to yourself containing unsafe passwords when you sign up for new online services. For the sake of an extra minute or two, don&rsquo;t give fraudsters easy access to your accounts. Use an encrypted email vault to safeguard all your passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Online Documents</h2>
A lot of people like the convenience of saving crucial information using online document systems such as Google Docs. But this is a bad idea for passwords, as these systems are designed for text &mdash; not sensitive data.
Yes, a password might protect your online document manager from unauthorized access. But what happens if that password is compromised? Many document software platforms don&rsquo;t offer encryption, two-step verification, or even the most basic security measures.&nbsp;
If you use online documents regularly, you&rsquo;re probably accessing your account on a regular basis &mdash; across several devices. What happens if you step away for a moment to buy a coffee, speak to a friend, or use the bathroom?
A criminal can access an unattended online document platform in seconds. And if this happens, it doesn't take a lot of effort to steal your unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Instant Messaging Service</h2>
Instant messaging services provide us with a convenient way of staying in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat were designed for private online conversations &mdash; not for storing passwords.
People who store their passwords on these apps do so because they believe they&rsquo;re fully encrypted. While that&rsquo;s often the case, it&rsquo;s important to remember that instant messaging services are often left open and operating in the background.
Imagine someone picks up your phone while you&rsquo;re not paying attention. If you left your device unlocked, that person would be able to access your password in seconds.
It&rsquo;s always a bad idea when passwords are stored on instant messaging services. By nature, these apps are designed to operate in the background &mdash; alerting you when someone sends a message. And because they&rsquo;re open, anyone with the device in their hand might be able to steal your unprotected passwords.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t fall into the trap of utilizing bad ideas for password storage. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> with TeamPassword, and give your unsafe passwords the protection they require.
<h2>4. Online Note-taker</h2>
Developers design online note-takers for everyday lists and reminders. While they&rsquo;re great for creating to-do and shopping lists, they&rsquo;re not so good for storing unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
An app such as Apple Notes is easy to use, accessible, and convenient. But it doesn&rsquo;t offer two-step authentication, encryption, or any sophisticated form of security.&nbsp;
If your computer or mobile device is unlocked, your saved passwords are vulnerable. In many cases, a criminal would simply need to open the app to gain access to your sensitive information.&nbsp;
OK, you might be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping your phone or computer locked. But hackers are resourceful, and they&rsquo;re very good at discovering unsafe passwords. Once they access your phone, any passwords stored in your note-taking app become vulnerable.&nbsp;
<h2>5. On a Non-Password-Protected Device</h2>
Of all the bad ideas for passwords, storing them on non-password-protected devices is about the worst. You might think that your tablet or laptop never leaves your side. But if your device is ever stolen, you&rsquo;ve given the criminals the easiest possible opportunity to access your saved passwords.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re determined to store passwords on a physical device &mdash; which is never a good idea &mdash; make sure the device password is a complex combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. And it should contain at least 12 characters.&nbsp;
<h2>Use TeamPassword for Extra Protection</h2>
Remembering and safely storing a dozen or more passwords isn&rsquo;t a simple task. By locking away all your passwords in a digital vault, you get maximum protection and easy access.&nbsp;
TeamPassword offers a range of <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security features</a> &mdash; designed to keep your passwords safe. Offering two-step authentication and encryption, this powerful protection system solves the problem of unsafe passwords with ease. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> to see these exciting features for yourself.&nbsp;

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. | TeamPassword Blog

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. ...

TeamPassword Blog

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