Your password manager could be helping hackers get your data, security firm finds
- A security firm has found a flaw in the Windows 10 apps for 1Password, Dashlane, KeePass, LastPass and RoboForm
- But no one online is truly safe. The key is to avoid being the lowest-hanging fruit – we give you tips how
A new study recently released by US-based security firm Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) has identified security flaws in five of the most popular password managers.
Now for some counter-intuitive advice: you should use a password manager.
You wouldn’t stop using a seat belt because it couldn’t protect you from every kind of vehicle accident. The same applies to password managers.
But the research, which finds that users of password managers are vulnerable to targeted malware attacks, does shine a light on ways to bolster our defences. And it speaks to a bigger truth that gets lost in headlines about breaches and bugs: online safety isn’t about being unhackable, it’s about not being the lowest hanging fruit.
Password managers are programs that keep all your login details in an online safe-deposit box. They are critical tools for staying safe because one of the most annoying thing about the internet – passwords – leads people to make the No. 1 security mistake on the internet – reusing passwords.
Hackers know we do this, so they take passwords from one breached site and then try them on lots of others. Using a program to keep track of all your unique passwords takes some adjustment, but they’re getting simpler and can make logging into things faster.