Mother of All Data Breaches

[rcarlisle]

Are you saying it's better to do nothing and let folks go uninformed? Just give up? I don't understand this mindset. No matter how difficult, people have to step up their security game if they want to continue to take part in the convenience that is known as the internet. Get a password manager and use MFA everywhere you can.
Edited to add: I tell my clients, when they complain all this is too inconvenient and complex, that it's nothing compared to putting your life back together after you've been compromised by weak passwords.

 

[SHOMER]

Thanks for the heads up.
It's far better and way less traumatic preventing, than seeking correction after one has been gutted like a fish.

 

[Michael]

I'll end this thread by saying... in this digital age we all use passwords. Heck, before I started using a password manager I had almost 500 passwords stored in my Chrome browser!

It's a good practice to use a unique password for your email account (which is commonly used to verify account changes), and any financial site or transaction hosting site.

There are many password managers and storage vault options available (free and paid) with varying levels of usefulness and security. Here are some popular examples:

1. Google Password Manager - browser based password storage. Free with Chrome. Probably the least secure but easiest to use. It will store all your usernames/passwords. If you set it up properly it will offer strong password suggestions. This type of password storage is not recommended for any critical or financial site information. Security is based on your Google password and whether or not you activate 2FA.

2. Bitwarden - Free (or paid subscription) to an open source Vault for web, browser extension & app. Strong 265-bit AES encryption, with 2FA (2 factor authentication). Must login to access your passwords with a master password. Zero-knowledge policy, so if you lose the master password you're SOL.

3. NordPass - Subscription based (currently about $35/year) Password Manager & Vault. Web, browser extension & dedicated app. XChaCha20 encryption, with MFA (multi factor authentication) like face recognition, biometric finger print, etc. so you can access your passwords across all your devices (without a master password). 1Password and Dashline are other popular options.

Whether you choose a basic free solution or an advanced paid solution; keeping your information secure could save you/family/friends/AGN members a lot of heartache.

Stay safe

-Michael