Technologies

The Best LastPass Alternative in 2023

Stop forgetting your passwords — start using Bitwarden today, the best LastPass alternative for free.

It can be tough to keep track of all the passwords you use, even on a daily basis. Between work and personal accounts, the number of passwords you have can pile up quickly. Password managers can help you house your passwords in a secure location, making them easy to find when you need them. One password manager that comes up in a lot of recommendations is LastPass, but if for some reason you’re looking for a LastPass alternative, you’ve come to the right place.

Password managers are among the most helpful (and important) tools a person can use, yet I know far too many people who just keep writing down, forgetting, and resetting the same few easily hacked credentials. I’ve even seen people with password sticky notes on monitors, which is terrifying. If that’s you, it’s time to get with the program — or in this case, the app.

Concerned about cost? Don’t be: Many great password managers have very capable free versions. But those versions — including those in our roundup of the best password managers — are limited in one key way: They keep your passwords confined to a single device.

My top pick doesn’t have that limitation; it synchronizes your passwords with all your devices. It’s called Bitwarden.

See at Bitwarden

What is a password manager, really?

Simple. It’s an encrypted database of all your passwords. Instead of trying to remember that same handful of (probably not very secure) passwords you use everywhere you go online, you just have to remember one: The one that unlocks Bitwarden.

Why choose one of these over the likes of 1Password, Dashlane, Keeper, Password Vault, Sticky Password and other products, all of which are perfectly good? As noted above, only the free version of Bitwarden supports password synchronization. That means you can access your data on your phone, tablet and PC — a benefit that’s absolutely essential if you use more than one device.

Beyond that, they offer common helpers like strong-password generation, automatic form-filling, encrypted credit card storage (for easier online shopping), a digital vault and so on.

Useful features like those help explain why I prefer a proper password manager to the rudimentary capabilities built into Android, iOS and your web browser. Indeed, once you get accustomed to having such tools at your disposal, you’ll wonder how you managed so long without them.

Make no mistake, there’s a learning curve to Bitwarden — and any password manager, really. It might take you a few weeks to really get accustomed to using the app and banishing your old password habits.

But any such hassles are greatly overshadowed by the overall convenience. Your goal as an internet citizen should be to use a different, robust password for each app, site and service, and a password manager is the only practical way to make that happen. You should be using one. Bitwarden is, to my thinking, the best free option out there.

Other free password management options

Should you bother with the premium version? Bitwarden charges just $10 annually for it, a price that nets you 1GB of encrypted cloud storage and password health reports. There’s also a family option ($40 a year) that gives you premium features for up to six users and adds unlimited sharing.

I’d say most of these features are superfluous for most people, though obviously, it’s up to you to decide.

For the record, LogMeOnce Password-Less is another tool that supports password-syncing in its free version. I don’t like it as much, but it’s worth a look.

If you’re wondering, I’m now using Bitwarden full-time. Previously I was a Dashlane user but grew frustrated by its bloat and high price. Bitwarden has proven a solid product, one I have no qualms about recommending.

What’s your preferred password-management method these days? And if you refuse to use one of these tools, I’d like to know why! 😜

Watch this: This free password manager offers one crucial feature

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Read more: The Best Android VPNs

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Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

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Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: