With more types of internet-connected devices in users' hands - and with a digital divide contributing to a broader shift toward accessing the internet via phone - internet use is becoming more fluid. As a result, they're likely to store their ever-increasing number of passwords in a browser itself, which is a much less secure option. Internet users are bound to forget about their password manager altogether if it isn't immediately and consistently visible as they browse the web across devices. Using a password manager to boost security, perhaps more so than many other privacy products, pivots on a fulcrum of maximum user convenience. The move tragically undermines a key security principle that's made LastPass's free version so effective at core security - its seamless multiplatform integration. Read more: Best password manager to use for 2022 It wasn't long ago that I raised an editorial toast to the reigning champion of password managers, LastPass, recommending it not only for its broad suite of premium features but - most crucially - for its refusal to let down its veteran fanbase of free users, even as it faced sweeping scrutiny over an ownership change.Ī moment of silence, then, for our beloved fallen freeware: As of March 16, 2021, LastPass free-tier users are only able to use the service on one device type - either desktop or mobile, but not both. We will be conducting a thorough re-review of LastPass in the near future.

Below, you'll find our earlier comparison of LastPass and 1Password as it was written, prior to the latest security incident, in January 2022. If you're trying to decide between 1Password and LastPass, we recommend going with 1Password - or you can take a look at our list of the best password managers for additional options. If you're a LastPass subscriber, take a look at CNET's advice on what to do in the wake of the breach. In light of the severity of this latest breach and given LastPass's lengthy history of security issues, we have decided to remove LastPass from our list of recommended password managers at this time.

This breach significantly undermines LastPass's effectiveness as a privacy tool and consumer trust in the product. 12, 2023: In December 2022, LastPass revealed that the breach it originally disclosed in August had eventually led to an unauthorized party gaining access to unencrypted user data and customer vaults containing even more data.

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