Assuming the passwords themselves are reasonably high quality, not reused across multiple sites, and 2FA used when available, a physical password book is not a bad idea at all. It's effectively an air-gapped password manager, no way to remotely hack or access it, and security is as good as the physical security of wherever it is stored. For most non-technical users, keeping a physical item secure is more intuitive than keeping a digital file.
When we use password manager software, we rely on the security of that software. I've seen users that keep an Excel sheet of passwords on their desktop. Obviously if the PC is in any way compromised, the Excel file could simply be downloaded by the attacker, and then the passwords are all compromised. Passwords on paper can be a better choice than using insecure password manager software, especially one that is hosted in the cloud, where it is also vulnerable to attack.
My suggestion, for users who can manage it, is to use a password manager which supports 2FA. Preferably an offline one that is not dependent on a third party cloud provider.
Last edited by W2k; 7th July 2025 at 11:58.
Reason: Added my suggestion