Alter your passwords for better protection with LastPass’ ‘Auto-Password Change’

By Chris Stobing Published December 10, 2014

lastpass auto password change keeps safe lastpassheader — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The makers of the password management application LastPass have announced they will be updating the popular software with a new feature dubbed “Auto-Password Change.” The service will give users the option to have all their credentials for their favorite websites automatically changed on whatever schedule they see fit, whether it be daily, weekly, or even every other hour.

LastPass has recognized that changing the passwords for all the obscure websites you’ve ever signed up for is a process, one that’s much more easily undertaken in theory than practiced in a reality where a majority of us still leave our logins attached to the edge of our monitors on purple Post-It notes.

“Maintaining your privacy and security is our top priority,” the LastPass blog stated. “That’s why we’re doing this differently. We’ve implemented this feature to make password changes locally on your machine, ensuring we stay true to our mission and never have access to your data.”

Image: LastPass

The software provider cites the recent Heartbleed bug as a driving factor behind its decision to launch the Auto-Password Change beta, as many people were left open to the hack because of improperly implemented security communication protocols, and exploited all that much easier due to codes that were too simple for criminals to crack.

Related: What you need to know about Heartbleed

Auto-Password Change could make things a bit difficult if you login to your main accounts from several devices at once throughout the day, and is not recommended for anyone who uses their phone’s in-house email app to read their messages.

Other than those select circumstances, Auto-Password Change looks to be a great step in the right direction to harden consumers’ credentials and keep hackers at bay without breaking the bank on security suites to do it.

Topics

Heartbleed Bug: Our Complete Coverage

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Self-proclaimed geek and nerd extraordinaire, Chris Stobing is a writer and blogger from the heart of Silicon Valley. Raised…

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