It seems like every website these days is looking for a password, and insisting that it be unique, long, and hard to guess. Hang on a second. I'm having a senior moment. What was that password again? My bulletproof passwords are locking me out of my own accounts. What to do? Get a password manager! And I found just the right one for you: LastPass.
Sure, there are plenty of password managers floating around, but I like LastPass the best. It's free, it's a plug-in that is super easy to install on Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer browsers, and it lets you use all your passwords on multiple computers. That means if you enter a password on your laptop, all your other computers at work and at home know about it. Enter a password once, and you'll never have to enter it or even think about it again. Neat.
Depending on how paranoid you are, you can configure LastPass to suit your security needs. All your passwords are encrypted locally, so bad guys can't intercept any of them between here and there. When I'm at home, I don't need as much security as when I'm on the road, so I especially like the way you can set up LastPass to automatically log you in, not only to its master password but to every site you normally visit.
If you want the ultimate security, LastPass can generate a nearly uncrackable password for each site you visit, and then enter that stream of gobbledygook automatically whenever you need it to. Even sites such as banks that normally won't let you save passwords are no match for LastPass, where with a single click, you're into your secure site in no time flat. It feels like all of a sudden, there is no more password madness.
LastPass goes beyond merely entering passwords. There's a form filler that's so smart, it populates even the most complicated forms with all of your vital information, even credit card numbers, with a couple of clicks. My only complaint is that it's a little awkward to find the form-filling capability, requiring you to click into the LastPass icon that sits at the top of your browser. Once you've gotten used to it, though, it sure is a whole lot easier than filling in lengthy forms every time you want to sign up for something.
Very few plug-ins for browsers are life changing, but LastPass is. It works across computers, across browsers, it's secure, and once you've entered a password for each of the secure sites you visit, you'll never have to worry about passwords again. Until we live in a world where everyone is honest and no passwords are necessary (don't hold your breath on that one, dear reader), LastPass is the next best thing. If you only install one plug-in on your browsers, make it LastPass. You can thank me later.