A different take on password managers

I've posted several entries in the past about the benefits of password managers.  Well, I just read a very interesting article that also detailed some of the risks of password managers.

The article is by a security professional who offers a very good take on some of the aspects of password management that I've rarely considered.  For instance, using a password manager can very much entail putting all your eggs in one basket.  For instance, what if you get malware that steals your master password?  What if you forget the password?  That might seem far-fetched, but you never know - you could hit your head, have a stroke, or any number of things.  So in addition to security, there are things like recovery strategy to consider.

While I've been guilty of making blanket statements that "everybody should use a password manager," I now see that that's a mistake.  I still believe password managers are a very good for many, if not most people, but it needs a more nuanced assessment.  Depending on your risk profile and tolerance, you might want to avoid putting all your eggs.  You might want to avoid password managers altogether, or use them only for low-value, or perhaps use multiple password vaults to partition things by importance.

The point is that security is not a one-size-fits-all thing.  There are lots of use-cases and it's important not to get stuck in thinking that yours is the only one or even the most common or important one.  Consider the situation and the trade-offs involved before making a decision or recommending a course of action to others.

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