Working with websites, content management systems, and secure data, you get to see your fair share of passwords. Over the years we have educated customers about why their passwords need to be better than ‘password’ or ‘bill’ and should be hard to guess. Using a service like GoodPassword will help you generate a more secure password with random letters, case, numbers, and symbols. Of course, its not going to generate the kind of password you will be able to remember (which is a good thing). Some online services like Twitter have taken measures to prevent users from creating passwords that are too common or not secure.

Fortunately, there is a program out there that will help you keep track of your passwords in a secure way. KeePass is a free program for Windows, Linux, iPhone, and OSX and other portable devices. KeePass allows you to store login information for reference. For example, if you have an Amazon account and you go to log into the website, you can open KeePass and grab your password to paste into the login form at Amazon.

KeePass keeps your data in an encrypted database that must be opened with a master password. Think of it like the key to your front door. This is the only password you need to remember, because it will prevent you from getting to your data if you cannot remember it (just like losing your key to the house will have you locked out).

The best way I have found to use KeePass is to install the software on the machines you frequently use, and store your KeePass database on a USB stick for safekeeping. That way, you can access your passwords anywhere you are, so long as KeePass software is installed.

If you do a lot of commerce online, it would be a good idea to look into this solution for yourself. Better safe than sorry!

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