password vaults

Mike wants to know about passwords and how often he should change the ones on his computer. Leo says that local passwords, like for logging into his laptop aren't that big of a deal. Someone would have to have physical access to the computer and a lot of time to crack it. So that's not really the one to worry about. It's the passwords online, and even then, those passwords are encrypted. Those who change passwords a lot are those who have passwords that are shamefully easy to guess.

Carla is overwhelmed by all of the passwords she has to remember. What can she use to help manage that? Leo says a password vault will generate a unique and strong password that's difficult to crack. The best passwords are long and random with a combination of upper and lower case, numbers, letters and punctuation. Leo advises using LastPass. She can download and use it for free on the desktop, or pay $12 for some additional features including mobile use.

Aiden made the switch to a Mac and his Time Capsule takes forever to backup. It works just fine in Windows, though. Leo says there are a number of different protocols, and Windows uses that SMB, which is the default language. Apple uses its own protocol called AFP, which is based on the older AppleTalk. Leo advises going into the settings and turning all the protocols on. That will allow it to use the fastest available.

Taquia wants to know if he should use a password vault like LastPass for his Mac and Android phone. He wants one that he can link between both easily. Leo says it's a very good security measure, and he uses LastPass. Other options include 1Password, KeePass and DashLane.

Dan has installed LastPass on his computers and his mobile phone. Leo says it's an excellent password vault. But Dan wants to have all devices time out after 15 minutes to lock it down. Leo says that's a good idea. There's a way to do this in the settings. Leo says it may be that the automatic password option has been checked and that's why he can't get it to time out and demand the password to reactivate.

Remy is a psychologist and he keeps a lot of patient data on his phone. How can he lock that down without having to lock down all of his phone? Leo says it's wise to lock it down completely. If it's lost or stolen, he'll really want to make it difficult for someone to get to the data. Password protecting the phone with a passcode isn't that big of a disruption, and it's an extra measure to protect that data he's talking about. It encrypts the entire contents of the phone.

Mike uses a password manager and when he uses it to go to a secure site, he wants to know if the data can be read by anyone else. Leo says no, unless there's a keystroke logger or malware installed. He would be the last line of defense though, and his online behavior can circumvent anything. No security option is fool proof if he is tricked by a hacker to install malware. He should make sure to keep his software and operating system updated so the exploits are secured.