LinkedIn Hack 2016 + Lastpass = No Problem!

The LinkedIn hack in 2016, led to widespread panic. Use Lastpass password manager and you won’t panic ever again.

LinkedIn Hack 2016: Password Panic

“LinkedIn Hack: passwords leaked onto the net” screamed the headlines in 2012 – and again in 2016.

Many of us panicked about this and rushed to change their password. Maybe some folks sat and agonised over how to set up a new, strong password.

But not me.

I say this:

  +    = 

(LinkedIn hack 2016 + Lastpass = No problem)

I simply waited for my opportunity, then calmly clicked a few buttons to sort it out, no panic, no mess. Read on to find out why…

LinkedIn Hack 2016: Password Manager Peace

Do you use a password manager? IMHO, everyone should!

There are so many websites and services for which we have to sign up, we soon gain a mess of half-remembered passwords or worse, the same password reused for every one.

I will post later about the wonders of using a password manager but I can tell you now that they can save you a lot of time and headaches.
Lastpass is my preferred option in this field and I’ve been intending to write a review of it for a while.

I’ve been using Lastpass for about 18 months and I think it’s the bees knees! (Disclosure: I am a Lastpass premium user, but I have no affiliation with the company)

The main reasons I use Lastpass for all my password needs, are that:

1. It remembers all my passwords, so I don’t have to.
2. It automatically enters my details into the right forms and logs me into my favourite sites automatically.
3. It generates strong passwords for me so I don’t have to think them up (thus reducing the risk I’ll reuse them)
4. It works on all my devices and in all browsers – Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad, Chrome, IE, etc

It does a lot more than that too (outside the scope of this article), but I want to draw your attention back to point number 3 above:

It generates strong passwords for me so I don’t have to think them up.

There are one or two sites that I create a more memorable pass phrase for, just in case, but that wasn’t needed for my LinkedIn account.
It meant that fixing my account during the LinkedIn hack 2016 was really simple.

LinkedIn Hack + Lastpass = No Problem

My work flow for fixing the LinkedIn problem went like this:

1. Go to the LinkedIn site ‘Change My Password’ page (Lastpass automatically logs me in).
2. Lastpass knew where I was and showed me a dialog with a strong password already generated for me.
3. I clicked ‘Accept’ on the Lastpass dialog and the details were entered into the LinkedIn form.
4. I saved the LinkedIn form and Lastpass detected I had changed the site password.
5. Lastpass then asked me if I wanted to save the change to its database and I clicked Save.

• Job done!

5 steps may seem like a lot, but only half of them are actions/clicks I had to take: Lastpass did all the rest. That’s a lot easier than trying to remember passwords and as I said above, there was no panic or stress involved.

So the moral of the story is this:
Get yourself a password manager and when you hear of the next big hack, you won’t panic either.

You can get your own free copy of Lastpass here (this is my “refer a friend” link, so if you sign up through it, we’ll both get 1 free month of Lastpass Premium – win, win!).