One of the industry's longrunning password manager, LastPass, boasts one of the most comprehensive password protections by informing you if your code appears on the dark web.
LastPass has recently rolled out its new security dashboard that keeps you updated as soon as your passwords are compromised in a data breach. However, this proactive security measure is only available for its paid premium subscriptions. It is a part of a new package that provides real-time analysis of your password strengths.
Is Your Password Available On the Dark Web?
One of the new security measures for paying LastPass subscribers is the dark web monitoring feature. This password manager runs your saved and encrypted passwords against Enzoic's database. Enzoic, previously known as Password Ping, employs a continuous password monitoring in their active directory. It covers whether your passwords, as search strings, appear on pages in the Dark Web.
Since LastPass and Enzoic teamed up in 2017, LastPass users can now get a notification once your login detail matches an entry in the database. It will alert users both via the dashboard and the registered email of the possible data breach. Also, the website where the flagged detail was found is included in the heads-up, redirecting you for a password update.
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While some features, like the dark web monitoring, are restricted to paid subscribers, the new security dashboard is available to all users of the password manager. Even free subscribers can enjoy its capabilities of determining which passwords saved are weak, previously used, or at-risk. It builds on and improves the Security Challenge, the tool that recommends changing passwords that are otherwise weak or prone to compromise.
LastPass has already unveiled the new security dashboard for desktop users. Mobile device users, such as on tablets and smartphones, can expect their new interface in the following weeks.
LastPass
The LastPass password manager was originally developed by Marvasol, Inc. back in 2008. In 2015, cloud-based service provider LogMeIn, Inc. acquired LastPass for October 2015. It has remained one of the most popular standalone password managers.
Even with the latest update introducing the new dashboard, LastPass maintains its grading system. For users familiar with the interface, or who have used it before, the dashboard displays a score of all your logins before identifying passwords that require change.
While sources report that the password manager has not changed its grading system for user login details, it does introduce a new capability to improve user experience. The new Security Dashboard, compared to its predecessor, the Security Challenge, is that it no longer requires the user to run the algorithm to check each password strengths manually. Security Dashboard automatically evaluates your passwords in real-time and gives you an update about password strengths - recommending changes and updates as necessary.
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With the security dashboard, you immediately see your scores by the time you open the interface.
Aside from LastPass, there are other standalone password managers. Furthermore, most web browsers also offer some of the functionalities of these applications. An example of a password strength evaluation feature is 1Password's Watchtower Feature, which requires users to run a security checkup for all their saved login details. It can also run your details against the Have I Been Pwned? database and will flag your password if it hits a match.
