How to use the Enpass password audit tools

Your password manager is your digital security best friend. You are using a password manager, right? If not, install one and start using it immediately.

If you are using one, and it happens to be Enpass you have at your fingertips a few extra tools that can help make your passwords even stronger. Those tools are under the Password Audit section in the left-hand navigation. These tools allow you to uncover weak, identical, and old passwords. Although these audit tools do not automatically change passwords for you, they do a great job of illustrating your password weaknesses.

SEE: Windows 10 security: A guide for business leaders (Tech Pro Research)

Using Enpass audit tools

Using Enpass audit tools is simple. Open Enpass and then click on the Weak entry under Password Audit. This will list out every password you saved, which falls under the Very Poor category. Any time you see a password listed as such, it should be changed immediately. Don't forget, you're not just changing the password in Enpass, but also the service or account for which the password is used. It does no good if you only change it in Enpass. Of course, in some instances (such as mine), I have a lot of saved passwords from old servers and services used for testing, entries, which all should be deleted from Enpass.

Once you change all the Very Poor passwords, click on the Identical entry and resolve those issues (both for the service/account and Enpass). Do the same thing for the three-to-six-month-old entry, which, unless you frequently change your passwords, will probably require even more time to resolve).

After you take care of all those audits you can rest assured that your passwords are significantly stronger. This will take considerable work (as you probably need to go through a lot of account password changes), but the added security is worth both your time and effort.

Don't neglect these audit tools, as they're there for a good reason.

Also see

• How to cloud-enable Enpass Password Manager (TechRepublic)
• How to install password manager Enpass and sync it with your Google Drive account (TechRepublic)
• Password managers: A cheat sheet for professionals (TechRepublic)
• Why you should never allow your web browser to save your passwords (TechRepublic)
• Study shows programmers will take the easy way out and not implement proper password security (ZDNet)
• 10 dangerous app vulnerabilities to watch out for (TechRepublic download)
• Online security 101: Tips for protecting your privacy from hackers and spies (ZDNet)
• The best password managers of 2019 (CNET)
• Cybersecurity and cyberwar: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)