Password Managers: Why You Need One (And Which One)

Humans are terrible at randomness. We use names, birthdays, and "Password123". Computers are great at guessing patterns. That's why you need a password manager.

Why use one?

• Unique Passwords: Every site gets a unique, 20-character random string (e.g., Xy9#mP2$Lq). If one site gets hacked, your other accounts are safe.
• Zero-Knowledge: Good managers encrypt your vault locally. They cannot see your passwords even if they wanted to.
• Phishing Protection: A password manager won't autofill your password if you are on facebo0k.com instead of facebook.com. It recognizes the domain mismatch.

Top Picks

1. Bitwarden: Open source, free for personal use, highly trusted. It has passed third-party security audits.
2. 1Password: Excellent UX, great for families and teams. Their "Travel Mode" removes vaults from your device when crossing borders.
3. KeepassXC: For the paranoid. Local database file only. No cloud sync unless you put the file in Dropbox yourself.

Verdict: Start with Bitwarden. It's free and better than remembering 50 passwords.

Key Takeaway

The only password you should know is your Master Password. Everything else should be random noise generated by a machine. This single change eliminates the risk of credential stuffing attacks, which account for the majority of modern breaches.