So you think hackers have stolen your password? You're not the only one. 
Perhaps you've noticed strange activity on your email account or frequent pop-ups on your computer. Perhaps it's just a hunch. 
But how can you know&nbsp;for sure?
There are many warning signs that you've been the victim of a data hack:
<ul>
<li>Your device is slower than normal.</li>
<li>You use more data than normal.</li>
<li>Videos take longer to load.</li>
<li>You received an email notification about a password change you didn't make.</li>
<li>An online account no longer accepts your password.</li>
</ul>
However, hackers can steal your passwords and identity&nbsp;without you ever knowing. That's why it's so difficult to tell if you're the victim of a hack.
This guide will help you work out if hackers have stolen your information and tell you how to stop it from happening again.&nbsp;
Prevent hackers from stealing your data by incorporating TeamPassword into your tech stack. This password manager for teams comes with a range of security features like two-step verification and password encryption.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;today.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How Do I Know?</h2>
There are various ways to tell whether hackers have access to your information:
<ul>
<li>Look for unusual activity on your account. This activity includes logins to your social media accounts from unfamiliar locations or mass messages sent from your email account.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for security emails from account providers that warn about failed login attempts or password changes you didn't make.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for changes in performance on the devices, apps, and websites you use. For example, see if videos take longer to buffer than normal.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look at your browser's password manager (if you use one) and check that nobody has changed these credentials.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
All the above can be a guessing game. You might have a feeling that you're the victim of a hack but don't know for sure. 
Checking a stolen password list like "Have I Been Pwned" clears up some of the confusion. This tool searches across multiple data breaches &mdash; when hackers take stolen passwords and usernames and post them online &mdash; to see if cybercriminals have compromised your personal information. 
Here's how to use this stolen password list:
<ol>
<li>Enter your email address on the main page.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Click "pwned."</li>
<li>The website will search thousands of databases to see if hackers have stolen your personal information.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Oh no &ndash; Pwned!" message, it means hackers have posted sensitive information associated with your email address (passwords, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) somewhere online.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Good news &ndash; no pwnage found!" message, it means the website could not find your information on the internet.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Note: Just because the website can't find your data on the internet, it doesn't mean hackers haven't compromised your personal information.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Password Manager for Small Businesses</a>

<h2>Which Passwords Did Hackers Steal?</h2>
Establish which passwords hackers stole in a data breach so you can take quick action. Websites like "Have I Been Pwned"&nbsp;won't&nbsp;tell you which passwords are at risk. You'll only learn whether hackers have compromised the data associated with a particular email address. 
Note: Sometimes, hackers might have access to your email address and other personal information but not your password. It's hard to know for sure.&nbsp;
If hackers have access to your data, it's a good idea to change&nbsp;all passwords&nbsp;associated with the compromised email address. If you use your email address for several online accounts, change the passwords for these services. Updating these passwords might take you a while, and remembering the new passwords leads to additional problems. (Keep reading to find a solution.)
Here are some other tips:
<ul>
<li>When choosing new passwords, use combinations of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords that use all these elements are stronger than those that don't.</li>
<li>Don't write your passwords down because this increases the risk of identity theft.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't tell anyone your new passwords.</li>
</ul>
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-most-secure-way-to-share-passwords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Most Secure Way to Share Passwords</a>.

<h2>How Common Is a Data Hack?</h2>
More common than you think. Hackers were responsible for more than 4,000 attacks every day in 2020, and the total number of compromised records exceeded 37 billion. That's a 141% increase from 2019. Much of this compromised data appears on the dark web, where cybercriminals use it to facilitate illegal activities such as identity theft and money laundering.&nbsp;
If you have been the subject of a data hack, you are not alone. However, it's important to act quickly to prevent hackers from accessing your personal or financial accounts.&nbsp;
There are other types of cybercrime to consider. Cybercriminals use techniques like phishing, where they impersonate people online and trick victims into handing over their personal information. Phishing now accounts for more than 80% of all cybersecurity incidents, and criminals steal $17,700 every minute in these attacks.&nbsp;

<h2>What Kind of Information Do Hackers Steal?</h2>
Hackers steal all kinds of personal and financial information:
<ul>
<li>Names</li>
<li>Email addresses</li>
<li>Usernames</li>
<li>Passwords</li>
<li>Addresses</li>
<li>Phone numbers</li>
<li>Bank account details</li>
<li>Credit card numbers</li>
<li>Social Security numbers</li>
<li>Insurance information&nbsp;</li>
<li>IRS information</li>
<li>Photos</li>
<li>Private message</li>
<li>SMS messages</li>
</ul>
Nothing is off-limits for hackers, and these criminals go to great lengths to steal your data. Once they have access to the information above, hackers can transfer money from your bank accounts, use your identity to apply for financing, and damage your credit file.&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scariest Data Breaches of All Time</a>.
TeamPassword is the best password manager for teams. Features include two-step verification, password encryption, easy password sharing, and more.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get a free trial now</a>&nbsp;and learn how TeamPassword keeps you safe online.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How to Stay Safe.</h2>
There are several ways to improve online security and prevent hackers from accessing your personal information:
<ul>
<li>Use the latest security software and apps when using devices and browsing the internet.</li>
<li>Carry out regular risk assessments where you evaluate your security software.</li>
<li>Back up personal data to a reputable cloud service instead of keeping it on your device.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't share personal information with other people.</li>
<li>Create a security management strategy for your organization and share it with all team members.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Using a password manager is another way to stay safe online. The best ones encrypt your online passwords so hackers can't access these credentials, and you can keep passwords in a secure cloud-based vault and not have to remember them. There are various password managers online, including free ones available through most internet browsers, but not all tools are the same.&nbsp;
If you work alongside a team, consider TeamPassword. It's the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager for teams</a>&nbsp;that require world-class security and performance. This all-in-one password solution helps teams like yours store, manage, and share passwords in the safest way possible.&nbsp;

<h2>How Can TeamPassword Help?</h2>
TeamPassword prevents hackers from stealing your organization's most sensitive data with an incredible range of password management features. Enterprises of all sizes use TeamPassword to manage passwords, including tech startups, digital marketing agencies, creative agencies, and software and development teams.
Here are some&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TeamPassword features</a>&nbsp;that prevent situations involving a stolen password:
<ul>
<li>Random password generation that creates unique passwords for websites.</li>
<li>Two-step password verification.</li>
<li>Activity and logging tools so you can discover who has access to password management features.</li>
<li>Secure encryption technology.</li>
<li>Email notifications about password management actions.</li>
<li>Passwords stored securely in one place. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Word</h2>
If you're looking for the answer to the question, "Have I been hacked?" it's difficult to know for sure. Preventing hackers from compromising your data in the first place provides a better resolution. TeamPassword lets you store and manage passwords in a secure environment and minimize the effects of a stolen password so you can avoid hackers stealing your data and continue to collaborate on team projects.&nbsp;
With features like password encryption, two-step authentication, and random password generation, TeamPassword is the best password management solution for teams that want to improve online security.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;now.

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from stealing your data. | TeamPassword Blog

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from ...

Have I Been Hacked? How to Know for Sure.

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/3zHoYQqKSDy9m9HRYLVG"/> Real clients review TeamPassword revealing the things they love -- and the things they don't-- about our password management service. We read each and every review you guys send and are so grateful for them. Your reviews help reassure the grueling hours we're investing into building this product, guide our engineers in developing new product features, and highlight areas that still need improvement. Thanks to your support and constructive criticism, TeamPassword is well on its way to becoming the best enterprise password manager in the game! Here's what our clients are saying about TeamPassword. (And don't think we're going to skim over the negative feedback because that's where it starts to get good!)  <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/iUggPBRwSB6QY1bfKrvn"/> WHAT WE DO BEST Time Savings is the number one benefit our clients rave about. TeamPassword saves time by helping companies improve efficiency and organization of processes like onboarding new employees, adding new clients, and managing employee access to certain accounts. Knowing their logins are secure ensures they'll continue to trust our password management system to safeguard their most sensitive information.   Improved Efficiency, Time Savings <ul> <li>TeamPassword is a part of our SOP for managing privileged credentials. It is essential for our team to manage across 17+ locations globally. Christopher F., Director of Global Cyber Security, International Justice Mission.</li> <li>The chrome extension is so handy, even with the two-factor authentication, login is under a minute and I can access everything with a few taps on my keyboard. The site and extension are extremely user-friendly. - James, Marketing Boss Digital</li> </ul>   <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Within a single day, I can work with anywhere between 1-7 clients. Jumping from client to client, project to project, and window to window. Using TeamPassword makes things easier and keeps everything on track. Being held up by just a few minutes in between each task significantly hurt my billable time. - E. Lewis, Marketing Adhere Creative</li> </ul> Groups Feature, Easily Add Employees and Clients <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">"The groups are the killer feature for us. Being able to have a collection of passwords for a single client and allow our contractors access to only those passwords (and the ability to kick 'em out if needed), is worth its weight in gold." - Travis G, Partner, Louder Than Ten</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">"Makes it easy to share passwords/accounts with groups of coworkers. I don't have to remember passwords, don't have to use post-its or spreadsheets or IM passwords to coworkers. Great team password manager for agencies and development teams, etc. Google single sign-on (Google SSO) integration works well and means even fewer passwords. Customer support is great." - Yair F, SmartLogic</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">It comes in most useful when people go on leave, it makes moving the duties of their role to someone else super easy.- Gabe B., Operations Manager, Common IO</li> </ul> Access Control <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">"As a user of both TeamPassword and LastPass, I really appreciate the ease with which TP allows me to control who can access certain systems and who can't. As a SaaS provider, we use a lot of other SaaS applications to provide great experiences for our customers. TP gives us the comfort to share access to those applications within our org, knowing we can easily remove users when needed." - Tom H., VP Engineering, Network For Good</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">When going from conference room to conference room, it's nice to know that we can pull up anything from any tool at any given time because each computer in there has access that everyone can utilize. - Nick G., Altitude Marketing</li> </ul> Security <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">"Our team doesn't standardize on what browsers to use because of individual preference so the integration that team password provides, being all-inclusive, was a win-win off the bat. We feel that everything is tip-top secure and right at our fingertips." - Joel O., Owner, Jayroh LLC</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Easy to onboard new clients and new vendors/contractors, gives us a reliable/credible/secure platform we can assure our clients is safe. - Melissa D., Founder &amp; CEO, Grapevine Marketing <hr/> </li> </ul> ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT We're currently working to address these issues and you'll find our CEO's responses to these complaints below each point. Your consistent feedback ensures that we will continue to evolve and improve to meet the needs of our customers. <ul> <li>"Inability to bulk remove all passwords in a group - this is very time-consuming when a client is no longer with us and we want to remove them, we have to click into every individual item to do so." - Melissa D., Grapevine Marketing. <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">This is a really good idea for us to address, especially considering the concept of client offboarding. We have plans to improve agency functionality for bringing on new clients as well as archiving old clients. - Brian Sierakowski, CEO TeamPassword</li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">"Not a terrible inconvenience but it would be nice to know who actually created the account so if there are any issues, we can contact the primary account holder." - Sunny R., Email and Mobile Marketing Lead, OrderUp <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">This is something that would not take that long to do, &lt; 8 hours of dev work. We'll get this item on our schedule ASAP. - Brian Sierakowski, CEO TeamPassword</li> </ul> </li> <li>"The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have an android app. Their mobile web version works well but a native app would be nice." - Nick G., Founder, MeetSpace <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Mobile apps are on the roadmap and will be ready to launch in the next few months! This is our most actively developed new feature. We're going to launch iPhone first with Android to follow soon after. - Brian Sierakowski, CEO TeamPassword</li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">I would love to see a feature to help automate password rotation. The generate password function is only scratching the service. I want to see a PW archive feature (to csv) so I can still access passwords if we lose internet access. Documentation reports - Christopher F., Director of Global Cyber Security, International Justice Mission. <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Totally agree on access, we set up our failover site to be live just in case our main data center goes down, and we could do more around letting you get your data out when you need it. We do have the 'oldest first' sort option to help in rotating passwords, but we do have some improvements around password updating on the roadmap.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">I'd love to see if there are any plans to add FTP/SFTP/SSH access or tie-ins with Transmit or Cyberduck. - Drew, Director of Web Services, Altitude Marketing. <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Great idea! A lot of our programmers use applications that aren't on the web so one thing we have been thinking about is getting TeamPassword into other applications and programs, since not every username and password is accessed via the web!</li> </ul> </li> <li>Please create apps. Please also start adding features. I don't think I've seen a feature release in a few months. Please add word-based password generation, this is a really great feature of 1password (also see xkcd on horse nail passwords). Also, it'd be good to see the ability to see which accounts a user has access to by selecting that user. From a political perspective it's often relevant to audit the access of an individual with multiple password groups it becomes a real pain to comb through every group to make sure that individual doesn't have access. -Gabe B., Operations Manager, Common IO <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">A lot of great feedback here! As mentioned before apps are in production, and we're trying to do a better job communicating the work that we're doing via email updates and through blog posts like this. We've started down the road of showing what a user has access to via the profile page, it'd be interesting for us to drill that down to a per-login basis, and I definitely think we can do a better job with the password generation option, especially around passwords that you can remember in chunks. </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <hr/> Are you a TeamPassword customer? We'd love to know what you think--review us at <a href="https://www.capterra.com/reviews/166361/TeamPassword/new">www.capterra.com</a> or if you have a verified LinkedIn account, you can publish your review on <a href="https://www.g2crowd.com/wizard/new-review/used-products/new-review">www.g2crowd.com </a> Read all TeamPassword reviews at <a href="http://www.capterra.com/p/166361/TeamPassword/">www.capterra.com</a> and <a href="https://www.g2crowd.com/products/teampassword/reviews?page=3">www.g2crowd.com</a>

Real clients review TeamPassword revealing the things they love -- and the things they don't-- about our password management service. We rea

<img class="wp-image-262 alignright" src="https://blog.teampassword.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/overall-ratings.png" alt="" width="342" height="191" />

Real clients review TeamPassword revealing the things they love ...

TeamPassword Client Reviews: We're Listening!

<img class="wp-image-262 alignright" src="https://blog.teampassword.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/overall-ratings.png" alt="" width="342" height="191" />

Real clients review TeamPassword revealing the things they love -- and the things they don't-- about our password management service. We read each and every review you guys send and are so grateful for them. Your reviews help reassure the grueling hours we're investing into building this product, guide our engineers in developing new product features, and highlight areas that still need improvement. Thanks to your support and constructive criticism, TeamPassword is well on its way to becoming the best enterprise password manager in the game! 

Here's what our clients are saying about TeamPassword. (And don't think we're going to skim over the negative feedback because that's where it starts to get good!)

A password manager that helps streamline the onboarding process for new employees? Yes, TeamPassword has you covered there too! Our password management software was designed to help you and your teams work more efficiently in all areas of your office life--and that includes cutting downtime during new employee training. It's intimidating to be the "new guy." New hires are often overwhelmed during the first couple days at the job. They're being bombarded with paperwork, office rules, and job responsibilities-- all while trying to learn the names of their new coworkers. They want to make a good first impression and prove their worth during those critical first days. But when they're constantly running into "login required" roadblocks it's difficult to get up and running without feeling like a burden to their password wielding colleagues-- or compromising their "best new employee" facade by bothering the boss. TeamPassword eliminates the need for handholding of new employees. With a few clicks in our shared password manager, your new talent will have access to all the tools they need to start doing their job--and their coworkers' smiling avatar will also help them remember names! Simply add the employee name and email to your company's TeamPassword account and click on the groups they will need access to. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/BAzFGPLQaSGMfRzuTXgW" alt="undefined" /> The new employee will instantly be able to see all the relevant logins they'll need -- and hopefully have some fresh ideas about useful apps or services the team can add. With TeamPassword's quick learning curve, even the least tech-savvy hire will easily grasp the user interface. And if hiring a new employee means eliminating another, simply remove the outbound person's access without worry that your company's sensitive information is at risk. Secure password management is TeamPassword's top priority. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/AJfaKxEQBOPAtxm9DBPg" alt="tp-delete-user-screen.png" /> TeamPassword encourages employee autonomy which leads to greater employee engagement. Engaged employees are more motivated to do their work, increasing results and driving productivity. TeamPassword gives your staff the tools they need to do their best work.

A password manager that helps streamline the onboarding process for new employees? Yes, TeamPassword has you covered there too! Our password

A password manager that helps streamline the onboarding process for new employees? Yes, TeamPassword has you covered there ...

Onboarding New Employees

A password manager that helps streamline the onboarding process for new employees? Yes, TeamPassword has you covered there too! Our password management software was designed to help you and your teams work more efficiently in all areas of your office life--and that includes cutting downtime during new employee training. It's ...

Product InformationHow many tabs do you currently have open in your browser? We're guessing you also have a couple different windows open too... Are you constantly logging in and out of sites that you manage for several different clients? Always searching through spreadsheets and emails for those logins and passwords? And how often do you veer off track during this transition time? According to our May 2017 client survey, the average marketer is managing 147 logins - and that doesn't even include their personal accounts! That's 147 usernames and 147 passwords to remember. And let's be honest, that is simply impossible. TeamPassword makes managing these 147 accounts easy. The TeamPassword Browser Extension makes it even easier. Secure password management without ever leaving your browser window. 
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/cX0rtpj3RcaDxHMsu3JI" />
 Our browser extensions are available for <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/teampassword/cikdbigchmgednjbjppflefljobhnhca" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Chrome</a>, <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/firefox">Firefox</a>, and <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/safari">Safari</a>: click the links to download the version you prefer most. Use all three? Well, by all means, go wild then! Welcome to password storage that's just one click away. Here's how it works: Log in using your TeamPassword credentials. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/nrLye8afRmCMKV5QmRHP" /> Simply click the TeamPassword lock in the upper right corner of your browser, select the correct login name and you're ready to roll! <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/uxN0JwnaRAOTOvzNkRkx" /> Now when you're clicking through those thirty open tabs, you'll have immediate access to all your login info without ever interrupting your workflow. Your very own password vault built right into your favorite web browser. Breakthrough to a new level of ease and productivity. Download the TeamPassword Browser Extension today!

How many tabs do you currently have open in your browser? We're guessing you also have a couple different windows open too... Are you consta

How many tabs do you currently have open in your browser? We're guessing you also have a couple ...

Our Browser Extensions Save You Even More Time

How many tabs do you currently have open in your browser? We're guessing you also have a couple different windows open too... Are you constantly logging in and out of sites that you manage for several different clients? Always searching through spreadsheets and emails for those logins and passwords? And ...

Perhaps you can deduce from our name: At TeamPassword we're all about teamwork. The idea for our company was born out of necessity-- our founders Brian, Kyle, and Charles were colleagues in the early days of OrderUp and often found themselves diverting from tasks to search lengthy spreadsheets for a secret password blocking the gates of productivity. So they custom built a secure network to safely store passwords and easily share them with the team members they collaborated with. Since then, we have been fine-tuning our technology to meet the evolving needs of our company - and yours. We like to think we're on the fast track to becoming the best enterprise password manager out there! Today our easy password management software is helping over 14,000 customers work more efficiently by saving them valuable time searching (or asking colleagues) for login information to the dozens of sites and applications they need to get their job done. *On average our clients are managing 147 unique logins with TeamPassword.* One of the very first features we developed for TeamPassword was the Groups Feature. Most companies are broken into several departments. Let's use Taylor Marketing Services, for example. They have a Web Development team, Marketing team, PR team, Sales team, and Finance department. They desperately needed a shared password manager because each of these departments, or "groups," is made up of several employees who all need access to job-specific sites and apps. But not everyone in the company needs access to the payroll processor. Taylor Marketing is a growing agency with over 35 clients. They have created a separate group for each client to keep their specific account logins in one convenient place. Taylor team members are added to the client accounts they're working on so they always have the up-to-date information they need, and the client feels secure knowing that only the people directly involved in their project have access to their information. Taylor Marketing also hires several interns each summer-- the Groups feature is perfect for companies that need to grant different levels of access.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/EAZW1YzKSTyjI1AmgJmJ"> Grouping allows an administrator to set up a "group" for staff who work on specific clients or projects. While those in the finance department are the only ones with access to the accounting systems, the sales and marketing teams get access to their clients' logins, and everyone in the company can access the lunch ordering system, travel and expense system and fantasy football league. The Groups feature encourages employee autonomy and streamlined collaboration while providing a secure way for the administrator to know exactly who has access to what. Team password management at it's finest. Grouping makes onboarding new employees simple: invite your new team member to TeamPassword and add them to the groups they will be working with so they can start contributing immediately. If someone leaves the company or gets transferred to a new department, the administrator simply removes that person from their former groups without concern for the safety of the information they had access to. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/8QiEjNlTmSf0MNEsJErO"> &nbsp; Ready to help your team produce more results? Click <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup">here </a>to begin your free 14-day trial.

At TeamPassword we're all about teamwork, and that's why one of the very first features we developed was the Groups Feature.

Perhaps you can deduce from our name: At TeamPassword we're all about teamwork. The idea for our company ...

The Groups Feature: How It Works & Why You Need It

Perhaps you can deduce from our name: At TeamPassword we're all about teamwork. The idea for our company was born out of necessity, and  one of the very first features we developed for TeamPassword was the Groups Feature.

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/EtEOdgRrTVyQBnjnBrKQ"/> Hampus Jakobsson is the founder and CEO of Brisk Enterprise. Based in Malmo, Sweden, Brisk Enterprise puts customers on the fast-track to sales by converting your company's sales tool data into actionable steps for sales reps and customizing your teams' workflow to maximize efficiency. They specialize in Sales productivity, CRM, Javascript, and Salesforce. Their clients include Evernote, Hootsuite and Zendesk and they launched their first product, GetSalesDone, available in the Apple App Store, which integrates with Salesforce.com. Several companies using Brisk have found sales increases up to 200%, with an 80% increase in conversion rates. The functionality of Brisk affords customers the opportunity to use third-party Salesforce tools, which in turn allows them to gather more information and make better use of their CRM data. <h4>Brisk + TeamPassword</h4> Before using TeamPassword, Hampus and the rest of the Brisk team kept passwords <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/fHjCAsJFSDunvNrvCRFZ"/>within an algorithm as their own personal method of saving them. At that time, they had opened an office in Canada to accompany their headquarters in Sweden. When the Canadian office became confused with their password storage methods, they knew it was time for a new strategy. They began using Meldium, another password management website, but when that proposed a new set of issues, they were once again on the lookout. That's when they stumbled across TeamPassword. We asked Hampus what it was like to first use TeamPassword and how he feels about it now. It felt a bit awkward in the beginning. What Hampus liked about Meldium is that they could save a link, click on it, and in some cases, the passwords were already saved. At first, TeamPassword felt almost akin to filling out a spreadsheet, because he had to write in his password. But once it became second nature to him, he generally enjoyed the process. He said it felt "a bit awkward" in the beginning. What Hampus liked about Meldium is that they could save a link, click on it, and in some cases, the passwords were already saved. At first, TeamPassword felt almost akin to filling out a spreadsheet, because he had to write in his password. But once it became second nature to him, he generally enjoyed the process. So what would Hampus change about his TeamPassword experience? One aspect he favors is the team sharing feature. He likes that you can split into smaller teams to share passwords with a select group of coworkers, however, he does wish it to be clearer to customers. He would also like to see ultra-secret categories - ones that only certain teammates would be privy to. Follow @TeamPassword on Twitter for more tips If you're convinced, you should give TeamPassword a whirl.

Hampus Jakobsson is the founder and CEO of Brisk Enterprise. Based in Malm o, Sweden, Brisk Enterprise puts customers on the fast-track to s

Hampus Jakobsson is the founder and CEO of Brisk Enterprise. Based in Malm o, Sweden, Brisk Enterprise puts ...

Customer Spotlight: Hampus Jakobsson from Brisk

Hampus Jakobsson is the founder and CEO of Brisk Enterprise. Based in Malm o, Sweden, Brisk Enterprise puts customers on the fast-track to sales by converting your company's sales tool data into actionable steps for sales reps and customizing your teams' workflow to maximize efficiency. They specialize in Sales productivity, ...

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Y3X9hlugTuSCUg6Zugvw"/> Mohit Dilawari is the Senior Engineering Director at Localytics, a leading mobile engagement platform based in Boston. Localytics gives companies the insights and tools they need to grow and engage with their customer base. Approaching 200 employees, Localytics serves such companies at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Hulu. Localytics' buzzwords include analytics, big data, and marketing automation. Essentially, their business takes in a lot of data from mobile apps and gives it to their clients. This gives them insight into their customer base with predictive analytics and allows their clients to market directly to their customers via in-app messaging and push messaging. Localytics entire company is born out of mobile and cloud technologies. <h4>Daily Workflow</h4> Mohit's role is to manage and run a portion of the engineering team, specifically those that work on their product's backend and platform. When he first started with Localytics five years ago, the entire company comprised of about 10 employees. Now, he has 3 managers reporting into him, with 4-5 direct reports each. The entirety of the Localytics engineering team is made up of about 45 people, 50 including management. By and large, he delegates most of the engineering work to his team. However, because he does have the technical know-how and the experience, he tries to be as hands-on as possible. He still "hacks on stuff" in his spare time. He prides the company on having hard-working, talented engineers, and in his words, "no jerks!" <h4 style="line-height: 27px;"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/N4XNmhgWQImDz52uJAbY"/></h4> <h4>Localytics + TeamPassword</h4> For Localytics, TeamPassword solved the problem he had with databases that only allow one single data admin. Because Localytics is a Software as a Service company, some of the products they use are not password controlled and have just one password account. TeamPassword is also helpful when teams change hands - this way when someone leaves, they can change the accessibility that person has to any account. Though Mohit was the person to initially sign up for TeamPassword, choosing us over CommonKey, he admits that he doesn't use it every day, but his team does. Mohit would love to see a Google Apps integration for TeamPassword. This way, when someone signs into Google Apps, which they use for other things within their daily workflow, they can SSO into TeamPassword. If he needs to kill someone's account, he can do it from the Google level. He'd also love to see a forced password setting, making it mandatory for his team to change their passwords once every 6 months or so. Follow @TeamPassword on Twitter for more tips If you're convinced, you should give TeamPassword a whirl.

Mohit Dilawari is the Senior Engineering Director at Localytics, a leading mobile engagement platform based in Boston. Localytics gives comp

Mohit Dilawari is the Senior Engineering Director at Localytics, a leading mobile engagement platform based in Boston. Localytics ...

Customer Spotlight: Mohit Dilawari, Localytics

Mohit Dilawari is the Senior Engineering Director at Localytics, a leading mobile engagement platform based in Boston. Localytics gives companies the insights and tools they need to grow and engage with their customer base. Approaching 200 employees, Localytics serves such companies at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, ...

In an increasingly digital world, we&rsquo;re switching more and more of our daily lives over to the Internet. While this brave new world is exciting and convenient, it&rsquo;s not without its problems.&nbsp;
The issue of unsafe passwords has been around for a while. But have you ever thought about where and how to store them?
Most of us have several passwords, and we&rsquo;re encouraged to never duplicate them. Some people simply write them all down on a piece of paper &mdash; which is fraught with danger. But others store their passwords electronically.
As you&rsquo;re about to find out, not all electronic systems of password storage are <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-do-to-keep-passwords-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>. Here are five of the most dangerous ways to store your passwords.&nbsp;
But before we begin:
Avoid bad idea passwords and dangerous storage methods with TeamPassword. This advanced <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager</a> features a selection of security features, including password encryption and two-step verification. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">free trial</a> today.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Email</h2>
Have you ever emailed yourself a password to ensure you&rsquo;re never without it? Great idea, right? Actually, emailing yourself your passwords is a really bad idea, and here&rsquo;s why:
<ul>
<li>Emails are usually sent in plain text. Without encryption, your passwords are susceptible if your email account is ever compromised.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsafe passwords sent via email often pass through several systems and servers. There&rsquo;ll also be a copy in your sent folder. If someone else can access your email account, your passwords become vulnerable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Some email platforms store data locally on a drive. If someone steals your computer, phone, or tablet, your passwords become vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
A really bad idea for passwords is to send them via email &mdash; either to yourself or someone else. <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hackers </a>and scammers are more resourceful than ever, and they can often steal your information before you realize you&rsquo;ve been compromised.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s tempting to send a quick email to yourself containing unsafe passwords when you sign up for new online services. For the sake of an extra minute or two, don&rsquo;t give fraudsters easy access to your accounts. Use an encrypted email vault to safeguard all your passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Online Documents</h2>
A lot of people like the convenience of saving crucial information using online document systems such as Google Docs. But this is a bad idea for passwords, as these systems are designed for text &mdash; not sensitive data.
Yes, a password might protect your online document manager from unauthorized access. But what happens if that password is compromised? Many document software platforms don&rsquo;t offer encryption, two-step verification, or even the most basic security measures.&nbsp;
If you use online documents regularly, you&rsquo;re probably accessing your account on a regular basis &mdash; across several devices. What happens if you step away for a moment to buy a coffee, speak to a friend, or use the bathroom?
A criminal can access an unattended online document platform in seconds. And if this happens, it doesn't take a lot of effort to steal your unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Instant Messaging Service</h2>
Instant messaging services provide us with a convenient way of staying in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat were designed for private online conversations &mdash; not for storing passwords.
People who store their passwords on these apps do so because they believe they&rsquo;re fully encrypted. While that&rsquo;s often the case, it&rsquo;s important to remember that instant messaging services are often left open and operating in the background.
Imagine someone picks up your phone while you&rsquo;re not paying attention. If you left your device unlocked, that person would be able to access your password in seconds.
It&rsquo;s always a bad idea when passwords are stored on instant messaging services. By nature, these apps are designed to operate in the background &mdash; alerting you when someone sends a message. And because they&rsquo;re open, anyone with the device in their hand might be able to steal your unprotected passwords.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t fall into the trap of utilizing bad ideas for password storage. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> with TeamPassword, and give your unsafe passwords the protection they require.
<h2>4. Online Note-taker</h2>
Developers design online note-takers for everyday lists and reminders. While they&rsquo;re great for creating to-do and shopping lists, they&rsquo;re not so good for storing unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
An app such as Apple Notes is easy to use, accessible, and convenient. But it doesn&rsquo;t offer two-step authentication, encryption, or any sophisticated form of security.&nbsp;
If your computer or mobile device is unlocked, your saved passwords are vulnerable. In many cases, a criminal would simply need to open the app to gain access to your sensitive information.&nbsp;
OK, you might be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping your phone or computer locked. But hackers are resourceful, and they&rsquo;re very good at discovering unsafe passwords. Once they access your phone, any passwords stored in your note-taking app become vulnerable.&nbsp;
<h2>5. On a Non-Password-Protected Device</h2>
Of all the bad ideas for passwords, storing them on non-password-protected devices is about the worst. You might think that your tablet or laptop never leaves your side. But if your device is ever stolen, you&rsquo;ve given the criminals the easiest possible opportunity to access your saved passwords.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re determined to store passwords on a physical device &mdash; which is never a good idea &mdash; make sure the device password is a complex combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. And it should contain at least 12 characters.&nbsp;
<h2>Use TeamPassword for Extra Protection</h2>
Remembering and safely storing a dozen or more passwords isn&rsquo;t a simple task. By locking away all your passwords in a digital vault, you get maximum protection and easy access.&nbsp;
TeamPassword offers a range of <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security features</a> &mdash; designed to keep your passwords safe. Offering two-step authentication and encryption, this powerful protection system solves the problem of unsafe passwords with ease. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> to see these exciting features for yourself.&nbsp;

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. | TeamPassword Blog

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. ...

Top 5 Dangerous Ways to Store Your Passwords

Over the last decade, the gig economy boom has allowed professionals worldwide to switch to freelancing and build a network of international clients.&nbsp;
According to Upwork, 1 in 3 US workers engaged in freelance work during 2020. Some of the most successful freelancers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Does your company hire freelancers? How do you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/should-i-share-data-with-freelancers">share passwords with freelancers</a>? TeamPassword is an affordable password management solution for small businesses, startups, and agencies to share credentials securely with team members and freelancers. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>10 Successful Freelancers</h2>
Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records&mdash;many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!
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<h3>1. Scott Luscombe - Graphic Designer / Shopify Expert / Website Developer / Copywriter&nbsp; - Canada</h3>
Scott Luscombe is a freelance graphic designer, Shopify expert, website developer, and copywriter from Uxbridge, Canada. He holds a degree in Illustration from Sheridan College and a degree in Marketing from the University of Toronto.
Scott has been a freelancer for most of his professional career and has earned over $500k on Upwork. He has completed over 311 jobs and worked&nbsp;10,956 hours!&nbsp;
Scott's work includes graphic design and branding, illustration and icons, copywriting, website design and development, UX/UI, and printing and packaging. He also provides freelance coaching and consulting. Scott is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer currently charging $99 per hour for various creative gigs.
Some of Scott's most notable work includes designs for Coca-Cola, the Canadian Cancer Society, Nickelodeon, and Wallet Ninja (to name a few).&nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>2. Kathy Edens - Marketing Consultant / Freelance Copywriter - United States</h3>
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~016177d19f0624c1a7?viewMode=1">Kathy Edens is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $300k platform earnings! Kathy has been self-employed as a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter for almost ten years from her home in Ohio, United States.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing and Psychology from Oregon State University, which she says "...helps me understand how to reach your target audience with words."&nbsp;
Kathy has ghost-written several non-fiction books on various topics, including social entrepreneurship, healthcare, real estate investing, and the cannabis industry, to name a few.
Kathy also writes web content, sales pages, email marketing content, case studies, white papers, brochures, press releases, and more. Kathy's rates start at $86 per hour for her writing and marketing services.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>3. Koen van Oeveren - UX designer - Netherlands</h3>
Koen van Oeveren is a freelance UI &amp; UX designer from North Brabant, Netherlands, with almost ten years of experience. Koen works with several design agencies in the Netherlands, designing apps, websites, and eCommerce experiences for many international brands.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Koen holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Communication and Multimedia Design from Avans University in the Netherlands. Koen's <a href="https://www.koenvo.com/index.html">portfolio website Koenvo</a> was nominated for a <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/koenvo-ui-ux-portfolio">2021 awwwards. Award</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>4. Pascal Strasche - Product / UX designer - Germany</h3>
Pascal Strasche is a product and UX designer with more than ten years of design experience from Germany. He holds a Master of Arts in Interaction Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, both from HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
For almost a year over 2020/2021, Pascal worked as the sole product designer to design Con Cubo's SaaS tool that helps complex organizations visualize and manage teams. He's also worked with German steel giant XOM Materials to find product solutions to digitalize&nbsp;Germany's steel industry.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In 2019, Pascal founded Product Design Resources, a growing archive of 800+ design resources, weekly updated for the design community.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>5. Paul Hunkin - Developer - New Zealand</h3>
Paul Hunkin is a freelance software consultant and developer from Tauranga, New Zealand, but currently living in Portugal.&nbsp;
Paul has over ten years of experience as a software developer with an impressive work history, including Google, NASA, InfoSys, and the Chinese aerospace industry leader COMAC.
He's worked with several early-stage startups designing everything from high-performance big-data systems to complex web applications to 3D rendering engines. He's also built a lot of the foundational code for independent games on Android.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Paul is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. His rates start at $120 per hour for software development. <a href="https://paulh.consulting/">Check out Paul's website</a> for more about his impressive portfolio and work history.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>6. Jana Galat - Writer / Brand Strategist - Canada</h3>
Jana Galat is a freelance copywriter and brand strategist from Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Organizational Studies from King's University College and an Honors in Business Administration from Western University.
Jana has extensive experience writing landing pages, email campaigns, social media ads, and print materials and says, "I am obsessed with creating copy that sells..."
After several years of professional work experience, Jana went freelance in 2019 and has quickly built a reputation as a <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01bfa17a48301876dd">Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $70k in platform earnings. Jana's rates start at $100 per hour for copywriting and brand consulting.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>7. Kate H. - Logo Designer / Branding Expert - United States</h3>
Kate is a freelance professional logo designer and branding expert from Maryland, United States. Kate&nbsp;ran her own green wedding brand which she sold to mywedding.com in 2014, allowing her to focus on helping small&nbsp;businesses figure out what they want (and who they are) and translate that into design.
She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of The Environment, and a J.D. in environmental law from Pace Law School.&nbsp;
Kate's skillset includes redesigning and updating material to make it easier to understand, building a consistent brand from a simple starting point like a logo, and creating unique logos that guarantee results.
Kate is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer, and her rates start at $225 per hour. You can find out more about Kate on her <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~013ce73876c1c18126" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Upwork profile</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>8. Marcos Rezende - UX designer - Canada</h3>
Marcos Rezende is a UX Designer from Ontario, Canada, with more than 13 years of experience. Marcos has worked in over 30 industry sectors for multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.&nbsp;
Some of Marcos' notable projects include apps for Ontario's COVID-19 dashboard, Urban Master Planning collaboration platform, and Reaction (kid's e-learning app), to name a few.&nbsp;
Marcos loves sharing his industry expertise with aspiring UX designers and regularly writes for the popular UX publication Career Foundry. Total recognizes Marcos as part of its "Top 3%" of global freelancer talent&mdash;a title given to elite freelancers in their given field.
We don't have access to Marcos' rates, but the best UX designers on Upwork earn upwards of $100 per hour. As a Toptal Top 3% freelancer, Marcos likely charges $200-$300 per hour.
<a href="https://www.marcosrezende.com/">Marcos Rezende's website</a> was nominated for the prestigious <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/ux-portfolio-marcos-rezende">awwwards.</a> in 2021.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>9. Tanya Litvinova - UX/UI Designer - United States</h3>
Tanya Litvinova is a freelance UX/UI designer from New York City, United States. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design / Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Tanya specializes in product, mobile, and web design as well as user experience flow, research, and validation.
"I have a passion to make the complex simple, shape behavior, design, plan, and strategize. Aiming for the best user experience, all the while balancing the needs of business and technology to create engaging, habit-forming digital products."
Tanya has worked with Fortune 100 &amp; Fortune 500 companies and successfully delivered business-transforming data-driven analytics, responsive BI dashboards, enterprise web apps, and management systems. Some of Tanya's notable clients include KOCH Industries, BlackRock Financial, BCG Group, and FireEye, to name a few.
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0165035041b26e96df">Tanya is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with more than $200k platform earnings. Her current rate starts at $162.50 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>10. Guangming Lang - Data Scientist - United States</h3>
Guangming Lang is a freelance data scientist from Michigan, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from New College of Florida and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Guangming has also completed several Coursera courses in data science and machine learning.
Guangming has been a freelancer since 2013 and has worked across several industries, including fintech, trading, medicine, biotech, advertising, and HR.&nbsp;
Guangming is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. He's completed 216 jobs on Upwork totaling 3,805 hours! Guangming's current rates start at $200 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Secure Freelancer Workflows With TeamPassword</h2>
No matter how talented or reputable the freelancers and contractors you hire, your company must use secure workflows to protect your digital assets.
Freelancers often need access to shared accounts and tools. Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is the first step to securing these accounts and platforms. You can also use a password manager to share credentials with employees, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure you never expose raw passwords via email, spreadsheets, chat apps, and other non-secure methods.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> lets you create groups to share access with only those who need it. When they're done, revoke access with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves the team.
If you do need to change a password, TeamPassword's built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a> lets you create secure passwords between 12-32 characters using numbers, letters (uppercase/lowercase), and symbols.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Ready to onboard clients and freelancers securely with TeamPassword's robust <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password management solution</a>? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free trial</a> to secure your company's digital assets today!

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field.

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in ...

10 extremely successful freelancers and what they do

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records—many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!

Password encryption is essential to store user credentials stored in a database securely. Without password encryption, anyone accessing a user database on a company's servers (including hackers) could easily view any stored passwords.
Even a strong 32-character password created using a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">secure password generator</a> is useless without password-encryption! If someone can read your password on a server, they can use it simply by copy/pasting it&mdash;no matter how long or complicated the password might be!
Encryption scrambles your password before saving it on the server. So, if someone hacks the server, instead of finding password123, they find a random series of letters and numbers.
In this article, we're going to explore the world of password encryption, why <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password">strong passwords matter</a>, and how you can practice better password management!
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> is the password management solution for small businesses! Create, store, and share login credentials safely with employees, contractors, and clients. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today!
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;[Table of Contents]
<ul>
<li><a href="#understandingpasswordencryption" rel="follow">Understanding Password Encryption</a></li>
<li><a href="#howdoespasswordencryptionwork" rel="follow">How Does Password Encryption Work?</a></li>
<li><a href="#5commonpasswordencryptionmethods" rel="follow">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</a></li>
<li><a href="#whystrongpasswordsmatter" rel="follow">Why Strong Passwords Matter</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="understandingpasswordencryption">Understanding Password Encryption</h2>
To explain password encryption effectively, we must first grasp the language. Several terms might be unfamiliar, so here is a quick intro to password encryption terminology.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Key: Used to lock and unlock passwords using a random string of bits. You get private and public keys that crypt and decrypt data differently, but we won't get too deep in the weeds with keys!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bits: A logical state with one of two possible values, including 1/0, true/false, yes/no, or on/off as typical examples.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Block (block cipher): A deterministic algorithm operating on fixed-length groups of bits, called blocks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash function: The algorithm that uses the key to create password encryption and decryption. A hash function is essentially a piece of code that runs every time someone saves a password or logs into an application.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash: A random series of numbers and letters representing your password. The hash function uses your hash instead of the raw password for authentication.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt: Additional letters and numbers appended to the hash</li>
</ul>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2 id="howdoespasswordencryptionwork">How Does Password Encryption Work?</h2>
When you save a new password, a hash function creates a hash version and saves that on the server.&nbsp;
Every time you log in using your password, the hash function recreates the hash to see if it matches what's stored. If the hashes match, the algorithm passes the authentication and logs you in.&nbsp;
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Original password: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hashed password: 6AF1CE202340​FE71BDB914AD5357​E33A6982A63B</li>
</ul>
While this might seem secure, simple hashed passwords aren't hack-proof.
The hash function only creates a unique hash for each password, not each user. So, if multiple users have the password, Pa$$w0rd123, the hash will be exactly the same.
To overcome this encryption vulnerability, engineers salt passwords so each hash is unique, even if the passwords are identical.
<h3>How Salt Works</h3>
A salt appends a unique value of 8 bytes (16 characters) to the password before the hash function creates a hash. This way, even identical passwords are unique before the hash function.
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Two identical passwords: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value one: E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value two: 84B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one before hash: Pa$$w0rd123E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two before hash: Pa$$w0rd12384B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one hashed value (SHA256): 72AE25495A7981​C40622D49F9A52E4F15​65C90F048F59027BD9​C8C8900D5C3D8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two hashed value (SHA256): B4B6603ABC670​967E99C7E7F1389E40​CD16E78AD38EB1468E​C2AA1E62B8BED3A</li>
</ul>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2 id="5commonpasswordencryptionmethods">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</h2>
<h3>1. Data Encryption Standard (DES)</h3>
While applications no longer use Data Encryption Standard (DES), it's important to mention this password encryption method because of its history and influence on more secure modern standards.
IBM developed DES as a 56-bit encryption technology in the early 1970s. The NSA adopted and improved DES before it was approved worldwide as the encryption standard.
However, since the late 70s, hackers have been able to break DES encrypted passwords. In 1999, ethical hackers managed to break a DES key in under 24 hours.&nbsp;
To make DES more secure, engineers created Triple DES and later Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which we still use today.
<h3>2. Triple DES</h3>
Triple DES uses three 56-bit keys (blocks) to create 168-bit encryption (some security experts argue that Triple DES is only 112 bits strong). Although Triple-DES is slowly being phased out, many financial institutions still use it to encrypt ATM PINs.
<h3>3. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)</h3>
AES is the new encryption standard&mdash;trusted by the United States Government and many other prominent organizations globally. At 128 bits, AES is sufficiently secure, but most organizations prefer heavy-duty 256-bit encryption.
At <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">TeamPassword</a>, we use 256-bit encryption to store passwords, ensuring the highest levels of security for our clients. We're also a <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">secure hosting provider</a> holding multiple security accreditations.
Hackers can only break an AES encrypted password through a brute-force attack&mdash;trying password combinations to find the right one.
To counter brute-force attacks, applications will lock an account after a certain number of attempts or use tools like Google's reCAPTURE.
<h3>4. Blowfish</h3>
American cryptographer, Bruce Schneier, designed Blowfish in 1993 as an antidote to the weak DES encryption. Blowfish uses a 64-bit block and variable key length of 32 to 448 bits.
Although Blowfish is more robust than its DES predecessor, the 64-bit block is still vulnerable to attacks, most commonly birthday attacks&mdash;a cryptographic attack that exploits the mathematics behind the algorithm.
To solve Blowfish vulnerabilities, engineers created Twofish in 1998 (128-bit blocks with 256-bit keys) and Threefish in 2008 (256, 516, 1024-bit blocks with 256, 516, 1024-bit keys).
<h3>5. Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)</h3>
RSA is one of the oldest and widely used to transfer data securely. The encryption works with two keys, two large prime numbers, and an additional auxiliary value.
Due to the complicated encrypting and decrypting process, there is no known method for breaking RSA encryption.&nbsp;
Although widely used for transferring data, RSA is slow and not suitable for password encryption.
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<h2 id="whystrongpasswordsmatter">Why Strong Passwords Matter</h2>
Password encryption can only prevent criminals from viewing saved credentials stored on a server&mdash;but cannot prevent hackers from guessing weak/commonly used passwords. If you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reuse the same password for multiple accounts</a>, this also puts you at risk!
Encryption is most effective when users create robust, unique passwords for every account. For example, a random 32-character password with letters, numbers, and special characters hashed and salted is near impossible to guess or decode, even using a computer!
In another scenario, let's assume you have a strong 32-character password, but you use it for every account. If hackers manage to steal that password, they have access to every account using the same credentials! Your strong password is effectively useless.
<h3>Improving Your Password Management</h3>
Now that you understand password encryption and the associated vulnerabilities, you can see why strong passwords are essential.
Effective password management is crucial to protect yourself against cyberattacks or in the highly likely event of a data breach where hackers steal your credentials.
Criminals are after the low-hanging fruit&mdash;people who use weak passwords!
5 tips for creating stronger passwords:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Create strong passwords for every account. The easiest way to do this is using a password generator. <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">TeamPassword has a free password generator</a> anyone can use to create passwords from 12-32 characters using uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. We recommend creating passwords as long as the application will allow.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords shorter than eight characters, with 12 being our recommended minimum.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never reuse the same password for multiple accounts.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords with your name, family member's names, or pet's names. With social media, this information is freely available. Criminals can add those names to algorithms for brute-force attacks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Don't store passwords in digital notepads or spreadsheets. We recommend using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a> to create and store your credentials.</li>
</ol>
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<h2>Why You Need a Password Manager like TeamPassword</h2>
We have so many accounts these days; it's almost impossible to create unique, memorable, secure passwords for each one. A password manager solves this problem.
Instead of remembering the credentials for every account, you only need to memorize the one to log into your password manager.&nbsp;
TeamPassword keeps all of your credentials safely stored and encrypted, so you never have to memorize a password again. Instead of entering your credentials, you use one of TeamPassword's browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, and Safari) to log into accounts.
<h3>Built for Teams</h3>
TeamPassword's best feature is its ability to share credentials with team members securely. Instead of sharing passwords, you provide access through TeamPassword.&nbsp;
Employees <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">use TeamPassword</a> to log in, meaning you never share raw passwords&mdash;no more worrying about unauthorized access or sharing.
You can create groups in TeamPassword to share access with employees, clients, contractors, and freelancers. When someone no longer needs access, remove them from the group with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves a project!
<h3>Built-In Password Generator</h3>
TeamPassword features a built-in secure password manager so you can create robust passwords for every account. TeamPassword also ensures you never reuse the same credentials so that you won't fall victim to credential stuffing attacks!
With a built-in password generator, you can change passwords regularly, and TeamPassword will update the new credentials for all users!
<h3>Monitor Login Activity</h3>
TeamPassword's activity log keeps track of every action across all of your accounts&mdash;logins, password changes, new team members, sharing access, and more.
You can also set up email notifications for all TeamPassword actions so that you can react fast to any suspicious activity.
<h3>Get Your Free TeamPassword Trial</h3>
Password encryption is not enough to protect your business from password vulnerabilities! You need a robust password manager like TeamPassword to create, store, and share credentials securely.
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<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> and let TeamPassword secure your company's digital assets.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep passwords safe.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep ...

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Browse our carefully created articles about Information Security, Password Management, Product Information, and Modern Business, all written with your team's safety and success in mind.

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