Password managers vs memory, a coworker made me question everything

My sysadmin buddy Dave said he remembers 40 unique passwords and thinks managers create a single point of failure, but I've had 3 accounts hacked in 2023 using reused ones. Which side are you on, do you trust your brain or a vault app more?

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sagep192mo ago

Right, and @jakeb25 nailed it about the aging thing. My dad used the same password for 15 years because he was scared of change, and now he's got his bank acct locked behind some mystery answer he wrote on a sticky note thats been lost for a decade. A manager lets you set wild garbage like "x7$K9!mQ" for your old gaming forum and never think about it again. Dave's memory might work today, but future him is gonna be cursing past him when the one weird symbol he added for work suddenly doesn't fit the new system. Id rather trust a vault that can be cracked than a brain that gets tired, stressed, and forgetful at the worst moments.

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jakeb252mo ago

Daves brain is honestly impressive but 40 is nothing when you factor in work logins, bank stuff, and every random forum that wants an account. The real angle nobody talks about is password managers dont just store your stuff, they make it so you can use a different password everywhere without thinking. Your brain might be great now but wait until you hit 40 and suddenly forget which variation of "Summer2023!" you used for what. Ive seen too many people get locked out of their own email trying to remember the one weird character they added three years ago.

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