4 minute read
Passkeys and password managers
A passkey replaces a password with your phone's or computer's fingerprint, face or PIN. It cannot be guessed, reused or typed into a fake website, so it stops phishing. Use passkeys wherever a site offers them, and a password manager like Bitwarden for every other account, so each password is long, random and different.
Why reused passwords are the real danger
When one website is hacked, criminals try the same email and password on banks, email and shopping sites. If you reuse passwords, one breach opens everything.
Passkeys
- Look for “Sign in with a passkey” or “Create a passkey” in account security settings. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, PayPal and many banks support them.
- Your phone or password manager stores it. You unlock it with your face, fingerprint or PIN.
- A passkey only works on the real website, so a fake login page cannot steal it.
Password manager
- Install Bitwarden, free.
- Create one strong master password from four or five random words, like
copper lantern violet harbor. Write it on paper and keep it at home. - Let it create and save a new random password for every site.
- Change your email password first, then your bank, then everything else over time.
Then turn on two-step login
Add an authenticator app to your email and bank. See two-step login, explained.