Should shoppers invest in password management software?

For many years, internet users have been signing up to their favourite social media and e-commerce sites using the flimsiest of passwords.

A digital Guardian survey revealed that the average person was attempting to manage 90 online passwords at any one time.

The problem with such a vast array of accounts and profiles being entwined in our daily lives is that most account holders simply use the same password repeatedly through fear of forgetting it. Password management software aims to eliminate this and could be an advisable solution for most people. 

You could be forgiven for thinking that one strong password should suffice as nobody will ever guess it, but hacker tools are becoming increasingly more sophisticated with each passing year, and online security software is in a perpetual game of cat and mouse with these unscrupulous characters.

How do hackers guess your password?

They have several tools in their arsenal, but one of the most popular ways is through something called a “dictionary attack”.

Given that most people choose real words as their passwords, hackers have designed programs that go through millions of word combinations automatically and can quite successfully land on the right password after a while. 

Once a password has been discovered it’s quite likely that it will then be publicised for others to use who may have an interest in getting into some of your other accounts.

The only way to beat this type of attack is by choosing passwords that literally make no sense. You will have noticed over the last few years that account sign-ups have an annoying tendency to refuse your first choice of secret word and require you to add capital letters, numbers and other symbols to the mix. It may seem like they’re being a little pedantic, but it’s actually for your security. 

Rather than trying to think of a new random password each time you create an account online, and then remember it, there are some sophisticated methods of auto-creation that will help make your life easier and safer.

Password management software aims to take the pain out of the process by automatically generating a string of meaningless characters and then storing them in an encrypted state on a server. There are now hundreds of companies offering his type of service; some for free and others that charge a princely sum.

Should you pay for password management?

As a basic piece of kit, a free password manager will do everything you want. Encrypted passcodes saved on a secure server that allow you to access them seamlessly everytime time you attempt to log on to a website that you’ve registered to.

The argument for a paid management service really lies in the extras that you will receive. Generally these add-ons include the ability to access your passwords across multiple devices and storing and sharing files with others that you want kept saved in a secure environment.

You may also find that some paid versions offer a more advanced dashboard that can make the process of managing your passwords a little more user-friendly.

Are free password managers safe for online banking and gambling?

It isn’t so much the “free” part that can pose a problem in this regard, it’s more to do with the fact that your phone or computer will automatically complete the password field if you’ve chosen to do so in the management settings of your chosen software. Problems can arise when you leave your device unlocked and another person jumps on.

Given that online casino accounts and internet banking allow direct access to your money, it can be a good idea to prevent these sites from auto-filling your passwords. Banking sites tend to have an additional layer of security, in that you need to select random letters from an extra password when you connect, but gaming sites may not offer this.

However, the overall security provided by licensed online gaming sites, such as the ones recommended at gamble.xyz is exceptional and it always pays to check a company’s credentials before signing up.  

If you’re into online gambling and use a password auto-filler, then you may want to see what settings you can change to make things more secure. Extra information on different casino games available can be found here at.

If you’re using password management software then you will need to create a master password that gives you access to your account. Always make sure that this is completely random as mentioned before, and don’t use any memorable words or dates as this just makes it extra easy for hackers to get access to your data.

Never write your passwords down or send them to anybody via instant messages, and don’t respond to emails that ask you to confirm log in details. No reputable company will ever ask you to do this.