March 01, 2026

Here are pros and cons for these popular options.

123456 has topped the list of most common passwords for a long time. No matter how often cybersecurity experts caution people to avoid such simple passwords, users gravitate toward convenience at the expense of safety.

Here are four ways to keep your online accounts secure while avoiding unsafe passwords—and the tradeoffs of each one.

HOW IT WORKS PROs CONs

Passkeys

p>Instead of creating a password, your device generates two keys that must be paired to access the online account: A private one stays on your device; a public one is stored with the service. Your device provides the private key—often through facial recognition or a fingerprint—to match the public one. Passkeys are secure and resistant to phishing attempts. They don’t require a password if your device has biometric capabilities. Not every service supports passkeys. If your device doesn’t have a biometric reader, you must use a PIN.

Password Managers

p>Password managers securely store and generate complex, unique passwords for each of your accounts. You access your vault of passwords with a single master password. It’s easier to create and remember one complex password than to create and remember dozens of individual ones. This method still relies on a password, which is vulnerable to hacking. If the master password is compromised, all your passwords are exposed.

Social Logins

p>Your credentials for Google, Apple, Facebook, and LinkedIn can be used to access many services. An online account may give you this login option, which saves you the need to create another password. This method is convenient, and you don’t have to create another username and password. Any compromise of your social account will compromise all accounts tied to that login. Also, you may be leery of giving a social account access to more of your data.

Multifactor Authentication Apps

p>Two-factor authentication usually involves entering a password and then supplying a code that is texted or emailed to you. A variation uses an authentication app, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. These apps generate codes that refresh every minute or 30 seconds and can be used for multiple online accounts. These apps centralize your authentication for multiple services without the need to use your phone or email. Also, since the codes refresh, it’s harder to hack. Your initial login to any online account using this method still requires a password.