KeePass: security & efficiency in one

Lock by Ashish_Choudhary

Today another quick post about a tool I've been using and loving for years: KeePass. What is it? A password manager. Why do you need it? Many reasons!


If you already use a password manager, you probably don't need to be convinced of its usefulness. If you don't, let me tell you about the moment I decided it was time to start using one.

Do you know how many online accounts you have? Think about it: email, social media, web shops, games, forums... It quickly adds up. In theory, you should have a (strong) different password for everything. But let's be honest: who remembers so many different passwords? Right, almost no-one. And so we have a maybe 3 to 5 passwords we use for everything. I plead guilty. This is not a huge issue, until the services you use get hacked and they kindly request you to change your password. And also on all other services were you use the same password. And so you do.

In one evening I had to change my password for probably at least 7 online services. I guess in the beginning I tried to still be creative, but probably I ended up using my existing password again, or forgetting what password I had configured. "Ah well, it's over and done now," I probably thought.

I think it was not even a month later, and another database got attacked, and I had to change my passwords for multiple sites again. That's the moment I decided I had outgrown just using a few passwords for everything. It was time for a password manager. What are the benefits?

• You only need to remember the master password for your passwords database
• Different passwords for each online service
• Strong passwords
• Auto-type your credentials: super fast!

I know that there are similar tools/apps on the market, but I've always used KeePass, and for me it works. Once you get the hang of it, it's super-easy to use, but if you need some help on getting started, just check out their website, or do a quick Google search, there's plenty of explanation available.

Still a few tips:

• If you want to login to services on another computer, put the portable version on a USB-stick
• KeePass also comes in app-form for your smartphone.
• Make sure your master password is a strong one. It's the only one you need to remember, but also an intruder could access all your passwords if they find out your master password.

That's it! If you weren't using a password manager already, I hope this convinced you. Do you have any password-related tips and tricks?