One unique password for every door
A password manager makes the safest habit the easiest one.
Reusing a password links your accounts together. One breach can hand an attacker a key to email, shopping, social, and financial accounts. A password manager breaks that chain.
Set it up correctly
- Choose a reputable manager that works everywhere.It should support every phone, tablet, computer, and browser you use.
- Create a strong master password.Make it long, memorable to you, and never reused anywhere else.
- Protect the vault with MFA.Prefer a passkey or security key where available.
- Let the manager generate passwords.Long, random, and unique beats clever.
- Start with email.Then change financial, cloud, shopping, and social accounts as you use them.
Autofill is also a warning system
A password manager checks the site before filling a saved login. If it does not recognize a lookalike phishing page, it usually will not offer the credential. Stop and inspect the address instead of copying the password manually.
The ruleThe only password you should need to remember is the one that protects the manager—and that one must be unique.
Primary source: CISA guidance on choosing and using a password manager ↗