With the recent announcement by LastPass that it was hacked, and source code was compromised (LastPass is reporting that no passwords were compromised) [view related post], I thought it timely to remind readers about the pros and cons of using a password manager.

Basically, the biggest pro is that you have your passwords in one place so you don’t have to remember them or write them down, or put them in a file called passwords (please don’t ever do that!)

The biggest con is that all of your passwords are in one place, so if the password manager is compromised, you may have to change all of your passwords, which would be a bit of a nightmare.

As for LastPass, we have written about it quite a bit, which you can access here [view related posts here and here].

Here is a good article that outlines the pros and cons for your consideration. The best way to protect passwords is to use complex passwords or phrases and change them frequently. It takes a short amount of time and is the best way to thwart criminals’ use of previously compromised passwords.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.