- Even despite companies like NordPass fighting
the secure password fight,
65% more passwords are circulating
on the dark web than they were in 2020.
And a significant number of these
are because they can be cracked in seconds,
which poses an important question,
is NordPass safe enough to combat all of this?
(upbeat music)
Hey, I'm Mike, and welcome
or welcome back to our channel.
So to answer, is NordPass secure
in this NordPass beginner's guide,
well, I first have to briefly address
what exactly makes a password manager safe.
The backbone of any worthwhile password manager
is encryption, ta-da,
and a lot of industry leaders have
the AES-256 bit thing down packed.
But NordPass encryption takes
a more modern approach implementing XChaCha20.
This is a newer, better algorithm.
Also, many password managers are safe by nature
because they prompt you to change passwords on the regular.
NordPass does this with a useful Password Health feature,
which is a way to audit all of your week
or outdated passwords at just a glance.
They also have a password generator
that lets you easily update and create new passwords
without even breaking a sweat.
And I suggest, always looking for a provider
with a zero-knowledge architecture.
And thankfully, NordPass has it,
meaning your data is encrypted
and then decrypted at your device level.
All of the data you store
in your vault is already encrypted.
The best part is that only you know the details,
no staff member at NordPass could view this.
Then there's the other security practice stuff,
which is invaluable,
like multiple authentication methods,
solid reputations, and audits.
Because no one should really answer yes
to our password manager secure without these additions.
When it comes to authentication,
I expect 2FA at the very least.
NordPass actually has several MFA methods,
which is a positive change seeing
as they were previously using email
or authentication apps, yikes.
NordPass goes as far as to use biometric authentication,
letting you use just your fingerprint or your face
to unlock your vault.
But it is a little bit of a bummer
that this isn't available for you, PC users,
so you're gonna have to use your master password, sorry.
Lastly, reputation, while no cybersecurity tool
is 100% untouchable,
there are certain respected providers in the industry,
and then there's the rest.
NordPass comes from a really reliable
parent company, Nord Security.
NordPass even shows its dedication to security
with proof that its application is rock solid
through a third-party audit,
which they did back in 2022 with Cure53.
Not to mention, the NordPass research pieces
that come out every year to help educate users
on password security.
So if you're wondering, "Are password managers safe?"
I would check those main capabilities first
before considering one as a best password manager contender.
Now, while those things are all the pillars
of any good password manager,
let's look a little deeper
into what NordPass does, shall we?
Any other noteworthy features that bring them
to the front lines of password management, let's look.
Well, the NordPass password manager
has a data breach scanner.
And while I can't say this is all that unique,
it's still very helpful,
and it's easy to find.
It's just down in the Tools.
Basically, it monitors your login credentials
to see if they've ended up
on a particular dark web database or two.
Okay, now just to give a little perspective,
according to 2022 statistics,
these are some of the top passwords in different categories.
So let's see how many leaks they've appeared in.
Eva, for example, seems to be the internet's favorite name.
Okay, I'm gonna type that in.
Hmm, there you go,
leaked in a large number of databases,
and that's not even half of it.
I could go all day about the most common passwords
and how these are splashed all across the dark web.
Now, NordPass also has a web vault,
which is super handy because I can access my vault
from anywhere using their web version.
This helps avoid storing passwords somewhere unsafe
and even temporarily.
And there's even the everyday kind of stuff
like password sharing.
Okay, sure, it sounds a little basic,
but it is something I use quite a bit.
With NordPass, I can arrange stuff into neat little folders,
having one for work or one for social and stuff like that.
Then when I want to securely share something
with a trusted friend or colleague,
well, this is just way more easy.
Let's say that.
It's much safer than Messenger, come on.
Now, a couple of other notable mentions
are their OCR scanning.
While this is a quality of life feature,
I can't ignore the additional security it brings.
See, I can automatically scan
all types of data and documents.
This means that I can save it without having to type it in
or temporarily save it somewhere unsafe.
And lastly, Emergency Access.
It really does what it says on the surface here,
grants access in case of emergencies.
Not all password managers have this,
and it even makes your vault accessible
in a read-only style for trusted viewers.
Okay, so we've covered whether it's a safe password manager,
and the answer is a solid yes.
Yes it is.
Now, the next step in this NordPass review is seeing
if it's worth investing in.
A quick little side note here,
if you're considering NordPass today,
well, I recommend checking my NordPass coupon.
2022 deals are in the description,
but I always update them with the best deals
that we can find.
All right, back to following the money.
NordPass has free and paid options,
and I would never turn my nose up at a free offering.
The biggest limitation
with the free version is only being able to use one device
at a time, hmm.
Also, not being able to share passwords
with trusted contacts,
sure, you can try it out, but trust me,
those limitations are gonna get old really quickly.
Okay, so what do you do?
Well, with their entry-level plan currently as low
as under $5 a month for the shortest commitment,
well, it's actually a great value.
See, with this plan, there are advanced features
but also the ability to sync with other devices.
Look, NordPass is at a competitive price.
I don't feel like it breaks the bank,
and it certainly doesn't feel like they're cheating users
with unjust pricing levels.
But keep in mind, you do get the better deals
when you invest in the long term,
but it's really gonna depend on what you're after.
And they even have solid NordPass Family plans.
Now some of you know I always say,
"No cybersecurity tool is a one-time be-all fix."
And we should never sugarcoat that.
There are important considerations
when choosing a password manager.
The biggest things for you to keep
in mind are gonna be choosing the right option
and taking reputation into consideration,
especially because all of your data is now being stored
in one place.
Okay, so for example, if your device is already infected,
there are various methods a cyber criminal can do
to extract information from it.
So it wouldn't make a difference storing your data
behind lock and key with a password manager.
That's why using tools in conjunction
with each other is always a better idea.
If you need advice on antivirus or other reliable tools,
well, just subscribe to our channel.
We post weekly content on all those topics.
And even more importantly,
with many top password managers,
if you forget your master password,
you're not gonna be able to get back into your vault.
Yep, if you hold the key and you lose it,
oh boy, not even a locksmith is gonna be able
to get you out of this mess.
Is NordPass good, for sure.
To summarize whether it's safe,
that's a no-brainer,
but whether it's right for you,
well, I can tell you this much.
With strong security features, simplicity,
and great apps all at an affordable price,
it'd be a stretch finding someone
who doesn't like NordPass.
But hey, let me know your thoughts
on this NordPass review 2022 edition.
What do you consider the most secure password manager?
Thanks for watching, and I look forward
to seeing you in the next video.