My buddy swore by using the same password for everything and I almost got locked out of my bank account

My friend Mike told me last year that password managers were a scam and I should just use one strong password with a few symbols tacked on. I followed his advice for like 8 months. Then last week I got a phishing text that looked exactly like my email provider's login page and I almost fell for it. Typed in my email and that one password before I realized what I was doing. Changed everything that night. Did anyone else have a friend give them terrible security advice that nearly screwed them?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_blair22d ago

Wait, but isn't the problem here that you almost fell for a phishing scam, not that you had one password? I mean, a password manager wouldn't have saved you if you still typed your info into a fake page. That's like blaming the lock on your door because you handed someone your keys. I've used the same core password for years with different tweaks per site and never had issues, but I also never click links in texts or emails without double checking the URL first. Your friend's advice wasn't great, but the real issue is recognizing those fake login pages before you type anything.

zara44722d agoMost Upvoted

Exactly, once you type the password it doesn't matter if it's one or a hundred.