Data Doctors: Help is out there for remembering passwords

Q: I am constantly struggling with all of the passwords that I have to remember when I go online. Do you have any suggestions for managing my password nightmare? — Hanna

A: Passwords … can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em!

With very few exceptions, everyone reading this column can relate to your dilemma. Much of what we want to access on the Internet requires a user name and password, and more secure passwords tend to be harder to remember.

The good news is that many folks have spent time thinking about how to solve this problem and have created programs that will do just that. And many of them are free.

I’m sure that you are aware of the ability to have your browser remember passwords, but that is not always the best idea. The obvious reason is that it creates a huge security risk, especially if the computer is accessed by other users. Or, if your computer is ever stolen, one of the first things the thief will do is look at all of your favorites to see if any of them are ID theft options. If you told your browser to remember your password on an e-mail system or any other online resource that contains private info, you made the job for the ID thief very easy.

For sites that don’t have any real risk from someone else gaining access, you can use the browser’s “remember my password” option. But for anything that provides access to personal info, don’t do it.

One of the more popular programs that started life as a utility to help you fill out online forms is RoboForm (www.roboform.com). It has a free version (limited to 10 passwords) or a Pro version that has unlimited pass cards for $30.

Not only can it manage all of your passwords for all of your online logins, it can fill out various registration pages with a single click, generate strong passwords that you won’t have to remember, prevent “phishing” scams, thwart key-loggers (because you are no longer typing in your password) and be taken as a portable program on a flash drive (handy for travelers who don’t want to lug their laptop around).

RoboForm does require you to enter a password to start using it every time you launch your browser or if you have not used your Web browser for a set length of time. But it reduces your load of remembered passwords to one.

Another option is a free program called Any Password (www.anypassword.com), which is strictly a password manager without a limitation on how many it can store.

A variation on this theme is a new Web resource at www.pageonce.com, which takes a completely different approach. Once you create your own account, you build a display of all your online financial, social networking and e-mail resources and consolidate them into a single page.

Finally, if you want to manage more than just online passwords (like PINs or other off-line pass codes) and you have a smart phone, check out Splash Data’s Splash ID (www.splashdata.com). Splash ID is available for the iPhone, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian or any desktop computer and is handy for those who travel and use public Internet terminals.