Tip
You can change your Master Password if you already have one that you want to improve.
Your Master Password protects everything you store in 1Password, so it’s important to choose a good one. Your Master Password should be unique, random, and memorable, and using the 1Password password generator will guarantee that it is.
- Learn how to revert to a previous version of an item or restore a deleted item. With a 1Password membership, 1Password saves previous versions of items every time you make changes, so you can undo your changes.When you empty the Trash, items in the Trash are archived, so you can restore them.
- Click on the Lastpass button in your browser, go to 'Generate Secure Password', click the dropdown button on the password field. Hopefully the top entry should be your latest generated password. Select it and click 'copy password'.
- With 1Password you only ever need to memorizeone password. All your other passwords and important information are protected behind the one password only you know. 1Password manages everything for you: generating, saving, and filling your passwords.
- LastPass: Similarities and Differences Password Creation and Storage. Both apps allow you to generate secure passwords for any account –– and suggest it. The password generator suggests long, strong unique passwords that are difficult to hack.
Your Master Password should be unique
The most common way attackers gain access to personal information is by obtaining a password you use for one account – often one that isn’t protected as well – and trying to use it for your other accounts. That’s why all your passwords should be unique, and this is especially true for your Master Password.
LastPass is free to use as a secure password generator on any computer, phone, or tablet. With LastPass Premium and Families, anything you create and save on one device is instantly available on all others.
Use a Master Password that’s never been used anywhere else.
Your Master Password should be random
The tools that attackers use to guess passwords are designed to account for all the tricks we use when we come up with passwords ourselves. When our passwords are analyzed by computers, they aren’t as random as we’d like to think they are. Let your computer suggest a password that’s stronger than the attackers’ tools.
Use a Master Password that was suggested by a password generator.
Your Master Password should be memorable
A unique and random password will thwart attackers, but it’s important that you don’t thwart yourself. For your privacy and security, no one at 1Password can access your Master Password or recover your account. That’s why your Master Password should be one you won’t ever forget.
Use a Master Password that you can remember:
- Use spaces or hyphens between words to make your Master Password easier to type.
- Practice your new Master Password regularly.
- Write down your Master Password until you’ve committed it to memory.
- Write your Master Password in your Emergency Kit and keep it somewhere safe.
Your Master Password doesn’t have to meet any specific requirements for numbers, symbols, or capital letters. If you’re not comfortable using them, don’t.
Use the 1Password password generator
The best Master Password is one you don’t choose yourself. Use the 1Password password generator to create a unique, random, and memorable Master Password.
Despite the best efforts of software and security professionals, many growing businesses share logins between users — usually as a cost-reduction effort. But securely sharing unique, complex passwords is nearly impossible without a password manager software.
Sharing passwords via insecure methods — written down, via email, or storing them in a spreadsheet—increases the likelihood that those passwords, and the data they protect, will be exposed to hackers. A data breach in the US in 2019 cost companies an average of $8.19 million—nearly twice as much as the global average. A password manager software can reduce the risk of exposure.
Password managers were originally created to solve the problem of creating unique, secure passwords, and then remembering them. Businesses of all sizes now adopt enterprise-wide password management tools to create and administer a corporate password policy where users securely share passwords to decrease the likelihood of a breach.
Choosing the best password manager for your business can be difficult, especially when you try to satisfy everyone in your company. This article will focus on two enterprise password management leaders: 1Password and LastPass. We’ll provide an overview of each platform and then compare 1Password vs. LastPass pricing, their differences and similarities in functionality, and each company’s approach to password security.
Also Read: Best Password Management Software & Tools (eSecurityPlanet.com)
1Password Overview
The latest version of 1Password is 1Password 7, which is available for all operating systems including Mac, Windows, Linux, and the Command Line. The accessibility of the software from all these tools makes it an ideal product for implementation across the enterprise.
Both the individual and business-oriented plans support mobile applications for Android and iOS, which means you can access passwords stored on your computer via your mobile device. When you connect your mobile device to the internet, the app syncs with the desktop version to keep all versions up to date.
Most businesses will prefer the robust functionality and granular control offered by 1Password Teams, Business, or Enterprise, although some small businesses may get away with a Family plan. All versions include desktop and mobile applications, unlimited sharing of passwords, automatic syncing, and access control. The Business version increases data storage from 1GB per user to 5GB, provides an unlimited password history (as opposed to 30 days), and offers more options for groups, activity logging, and role-based access. Business also provides priority customer support.
LastPass Overview
LastPass is a cloud-based password management tool, so you don’t have to install a desktop app to get started using LastPass. It’s available on Mac, Windows, or Linux computers, and they offer extensions for major browsers including Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. These extensions make using the service easier, but they’re not required.
LastPass comes in several versions. Free, Premium, and Families tiers are for consumer use, while MFA (multi-factor authentication), Teams, and Enterprise are recommended for business use. There is also an Identity plan that combines the MFA and Enterprise capabilities.
Yes, you can use LastPass completely free of charge. But as of March 16, 2021, you will need to choose to use your account on either mobile or desktop. You also won’t be able to share passwords with other users or have access to any of the other features that make a password manager useful. But you can generate, store, and automatically fill passwords, and that’s better than no password manager at all. For very small companies or companies that are not concerned with sharing passwords across teams, the free tier is a no-excuses way to start using password management.
Business plan pricing is based on the number of users, with the Teams plan starting at 50 recommended users. All business plans include offline mode, a security dashboard, two-factor authentication, and self-guided support.
1password Password Recovery
Comparing integrations and security for 1Password vs. LastPass
You’re probably reading this article because you’ve narrowed down your search for a password manager to these two options. While both applications are a strong choice, one may be a better fit for your unique situation.
LastPass has more options for directory integrations, supporting Active Directory, Okta, OneLogin, Microsoft Azure AD, and API access. Currently, 1Password supports Azure Active Directory and Okta for automated deployments.
The more fundamental difference between the two platforms is this: LastPass’s security is authentication-based, while 1Password’s is both authentication and encryption-based.
An authentication-based system checks your credentials — in this case, your Master Password — and then provides or denies access based upon whether or not your credentials match those stored by the authenticator. These credentials may or may not be stored in plain text, and there are typically backdoors that allow access in case your password is forgotten or that allows administrators to reset passwords, so you can regain access.
In an encryption-based system, resetting a lost encryption key with a backdoor method simply isn’t possible, as the key is used to generate the “code” that encrypts your data. This means that your employees will need to download and securely store their 1Password encryption key to access the system in case of a lockout. Neither you as the admin or 1Password as the vendor will be able to access their password vault for them if they lose it. This is why, according to 1Password, they don’t (and probably can’t) offer multi-factor authentication in the same manner as an authentication-based system like LastPass.
- For a more technical look at encryption, authentication, and authorization, see this useful piece from Boston University: Understanding Authentication, Authorization, and Encryption.
- For a useful explanation on this subject from 1Password, click here.
- In the interest of fairness, LastPass offers their take here.
If security is your only concern, 1Password’s locally installed option is certainly the way to go, but usability is just as important. For that, the cloud-based options from either LastPass or 1Password might be more appropriate, since they offer business-friendly features that help less-savvy users recover and change passwords.
Choosing the right password manager tool
In conclusion, both tools should greatly increase the security of your business data while also making it easier to create and store secure passwords. But each service is only as good as the passwords it stores. If you use weak passwords (like “password” or “1234”), write passwords down on post-its stored on the underside of your keyboard, or store plain text passwords in a spreadsheet as well as your password manager, hackers and bad actors can still access them. The software also can’t help if you commit the other cardinal sin of password management — using the same password for multiple sites.
Ultimately, the decision between LastPass vs. 1Password will come down to your unique situation — your users, your OS environment, your regulatory requirements, or your IT admin’s preference.
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