As a result of a recent personal hacking incident, and in light of the ongoing attack against Sony and the almost daily onslaught of news about data breaches and identity theft, this clearly is the time of year not just to be jolly but extra specially vigilant. This is just as true if you are an IT security professional or just somebody who spends a lot of time online conducting personal transactions. 

Not that the bad actors ever take a rest, but the holidays represent prime attack time. This is why it is a terrific time to understand the need and value of password managers.  With this in mind, and as a mix of both a reminder and public service announcement, I’d like to share with you some thoughts about the value of employing password managers that Bill Carey, VP of Marketing for RoboForm was kind enough to pass along.

 1) You can log in at all of your favorite shopping sites instantly. Instead of struggling to remember a dozen or more username and password combinations at your go-to shopping sites, you can use password managers to remember that information and log you in automatically.

 2) You'll be able to complete ecommerce forms in a flash. In addition to secure password management, they are excellent form fillers. Enter your billing, shipping and payment information one time and your password manager will complete forms during checkout with a single click.

 3) You can leave store membership cards at home. Instead of carrying around multiple store membership and loyalty program cards to get discounts at local stores, you can enter your information into your password manager's Safenotes. That way, you'll have it on your mobile phone wherever you go.

 4) You can automatically take your passwords and personal information on the road. With password managers, your data goes wherever you do, making it simple to use multiple computers, laptops and mobile devices while traveling – without having to re-enter your information and login credentials every time.

 5) You’ll reduce your chances of getting hacked during the holidays. Hacking is on the rise, but you can protect yourself by always using a strong password and changing it frequently. Password managers make this process a breeze, so you’re less likely to be hacked during the holidays. 

Those of us of a certain age can remember well the opening sequence of the then hit TV show Hill Street Blues.  Each show started with the police officers in the show getting briefed by the character Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (played by the late Michael Conrad) who ended the introductory roll call to each week's show with "Let's be careful out there".  During this holiday season there is reason to be careful out there in the virtual world. After all the old saying “It is better to be safe than sorry” is particularly true as we do our holiday shopping.