I’m Menelaos

Most people don’t use a unique password for every site — they reuse the same few passwords across many accounts. That’s exactly what makes reuse so dangerous: if one service is breached, attackers take those leaked credentials and try them everywhere (credential stuffing). In short: one leak can open many doors.

You can check whether your email or a password appears in known breaches using a trusted service such as “Have I Been Pwned” (it also provides a “Pwned Passwords” check that uses k-anonymity so you can test a password without sending it in full). If a password you used shows up, change it immediately — and don’t reuse it elsewhere.

That’s where a password manager becomes simple risk management: it makes creating truly unique, long passwords for every site practical, stores them safely in an encrypted vault, and removes the temptation to reuse a single password everywhere.

Couple a manager with two-factor authentication on important accounts, and you’ve sharply reduced the most common routes attackers use.

Why KeePass Is My Choice

I’ve been using KeePass for years, and it has never let me down.

Here’s why I think it’s a great option:

• It’s free and open-source – No subscription, no hidden fees. You can audit the code yourself if you want to see how it works.
• Extremely safe – Your passwords are encrypted with strong algorithms (AES-256, among others).
• Works on Windows and Android – I use the main KeePass app on my PC and KeePass2Android on my phone.
• Easy syncing – I keep my database file in OneDrive, so I can update passwords on one device and have them ready on the other instantly.
• No cloud lock-in – Your data is just a file. You can back it up anywhere: USB stick, external drive, Dropbox, Google Drive — you’re in control.

Other Options Worth Considering

While KeePass works perfectly for me, there are other great password managers out there:

• Bitwarden – Open-source, can be self-hosted, has a polished cloud sync experience.
• 1Password – Very user-friendly, great for teams and families (but subscription-based).
• LastPass – Well-known and widely supported, though it’s had some security incidents in the past.

One to rule them all

Whether you choose KeePass or another tool, the most important thing is to start using one. Stop reusing the same password for multiple sites — it’s one of the easiest ways to protect yourself online.

And remember: your password manager is only as strong as your master password. Make it long, unique, and memorable.

The best approach is the passphrase method. Instead of a single complicated word, choose four or five completely unrelated words and connect them into a phrase you can visualize. The randomness of the words makes it hard for attackers to guess, while the mental image makes it easy for you to remember. For example, BlueTrain!MonkeyGlassRiver is far stronger than something like P@ssw0rd123!, yet much easier to recall. You can make it even more secure by adding numbers or symbols in between words. Just make sure it’s unique and never used anywhere else — this one password is the key to your entire vault.