c/cybersecurity-tips

Hot take: Password managers aren't for everyone and here's why

Last month my dad called me panicked because he forgot his master password for Bitwarden and couldn't get into any of his accounts. He had over 50 logins saved in there and had to reset every single one manually. I always thought password managers were the gold standard for security but after spending 4 hours helping him recover everything I'm not so sure. My dad is 68 and works part time at a hardware store in Toledo, he just couldn't keep track of one more password. So is a password manager really better than a simple notebook kept in a locked drawer for some people? What do you all think?

2 comments

drew_park•19d ago

2FA app glitched on me yesterday - almost locked out of my bank account

Duo Mobile just stopped working. No warning. Opened it yesterday morning and got a blank white screen. Couldn't get my 2FA code for my online banking. Had to call my bank's support line. Spent 45 minutes on hold proving my identity with security questions. Finally got a temporary bypass code. Already switching to Authy for backup. Anyone else have Duo just die like that?

2 comments

thea857•21d ago

My own 2FA app locked me out of my bank account

Last Tuesday I went to pay a bill and realized I couldn't get into my bank account. The authenticator app on my phone had reset itself overnight, no idea why. No backup codes saved anywhere either, dumb move on my part. Had to call the bank and sit on hold for 45 minutes to prove my identity. They ended up disabling 2FA on my account and I had to set it all up again from scratch. Now I keep a printed list of backup codes in my desk drawer. Anyone else had a phone update wipe their authenticator data?

c/cybersecurity-tips

Hot take: Password managers aren't for everyone and here's why

2FA app glitched on me yesterday - almost locked out of my bank account

My own 2FA app locked me out of my bank account

Found a stat about reused passwords that freaked me out

Tried a password manager after years of reusing the same passwords

Hit 1000 unique passwords in my manager last week

Had a grandkid show me why I needed a password manager

Coworker swore by sticky notes for passwords, then got hit with a breach

Hit 1000 unique login attempts blocked in a single day last Tuesday and it completely changed how much I trust the VPN I had been half-using

Found a public WiFi network at my local coffee shop that wasn't even password protected

Question about password managers - are cloud ones safe enough?

Why does nobody talk about using a password manager on your work phone?

Switched from a password manager to a physical notebook on my desk at work

Overheard a guy at the library say 'password managers are too risky' and I couldn't stay quiet

PSA: I set up a honeypot on my home network and the results were way scarier than I expected.

My old password manager stopped working, so I switched to KeePassXC.

I think everyone's wrong about password managers being the only safe option

My 'secure' home network got popped because I left the default password on a smart plug.

Hot take: My 'strong' password was just a famous movie quote with a 1 at the end

PSA: I turned on two-factor for my old email and got locked out for a day

Finally got my mom to use a password manager after her old email got hit

Am I the only one who thinks password managers are a huge single point of failure?

A guy at the hardware store saved me from a phishing email

My coworker told me to stop using the same password everywhere and I didn't listen

Question about those 'mandatory' password changes every 90 days