This is a follow up to the GMail Recovery thread which probably needs a thread of its own!
I am a Mentor at our local Computer Club and find password management the biggest challenge amongst our club members (mostly retired with an average age 70!)
Most members come in with their passwords on pieces of paper! Many use the same password for all site logons! (Oops!)
We have tried suggesting Password Manager software, but in most cases, it is a “bridge too far” for most of members! To avoid the “password on bits of paper” scenario we have offered password books as a last resort! A label on the front set to “Cricket Scores 1967 – 1968” usually keeps prying eyes out! In the majority of cases this password book never leaves the home! (except to come to the Computer Club). Frequently a glimpse of their browser password settings amazes them!
Some members are now (reluctantly) ditching their landline and doing what the young are doing, and relying on their mobile phone, (in most cases needed for Two Factor Authorisation). After a while they say that this is the way to go and question why have they not done it before? There are some excellent cheap deals out there which our members have signed up for - unless you are big data user most deals can be done for less than £10 per month. Mine costs me £4.50 per month for 5GB data, 1000 UK minutes, 1000 UK texts and 100 International minutes! We are also noticing a move to using WhatsApp for free telephone calls!
As well as using
Have I been Pwned to check if your email address has been found in a data breach, you can use
Pwned Passwords that lets you verify if your
password has also been exposed in known data breaches! We also suggest members check out
How Secure Is My Password?
Scammers are doing their best in attempts to get at our savings, so signing up for the
Which? Scam Alerts Service should be high on your
To Do list for today, and its free!
Stay safe online Folks!
Full disclosure: I use Roboform Password Manager (paid version) and use it on three devices! There is a learning curve with all Password Managers but it is well worth the efforts! Good luck!