Passwords have become a way of life for every computer user. They are one of the most popular methods of user authentication on the Internet. They are used to check emails, access bank accounts, watch movies, play games, and a lot more.

The world would be lot simpler if we could safely use the exact same password across all Web sites. Unfortunately with the rise of phishing attacks, having a single password is very dangerous. In a phishing attack, a fake Web site can impersonate your email provider. If you provide your password thinking that it’s business as usual, you have just given your email password to a hacker . If that password is also your bank password it can be used to cause financial damage. Another way hackers get your passwords is to use a lot of computing power to guess it--a brute force method of trying out various combinations of letters and numbers.

Web sites that realize these risks have deployed measures to protect their users from such attacks. The use of a strong password is encouraged, and is in some cases mandatory. Typically Web sites define strong passwords as having a certain length and a mix of upper- and lowercase letters and special characters. Some Web sites force users to change their passwords on a periodic basis. A few deploy methods where you have to select a picture that you recognize, so that you can ensure you are really on the correct Web site. These are very good measures that help protect their users.

The challenge with such efforts is there are no standards rules across Web sites. Users are left with trying to figure out how to cope with the variety of rules and may feel forced to take a few shortcuts, like using the same strong password on several Web sites. Another challenge with strong passwords is actually remembering them. Lots of users actually write down the passwords on a sticky note and keep it around their computers for easy access. This obviously is not a safe practice, but is understandable.

At Norton we have been helping users solve this exact challenge with our Norton Identity Safe feature. Users of Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 have been using this feature on their PCs to keep their passwords and identity safe.

With the introduction of the standalone version of Norton Identity Safe, we are not only providing a way to access your securely stored passwords and personal information from any computer, but are providing a means to do so from your tablets and mobile phones. The mission of Norton Identity Safe is to travel with you and continuously remember complicated passwords whenever and wherever you need them.

Norton Identity Safe takes away the pain of having to remember multiple passwords and securely stores important information such as credit cards numbers, addresses, and phone numbers. Please visit https://identitysafe-beta.norton.com to try the Beta.

More information, about Norton Identity Safe Beta can be found here.