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21 May 2025

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Rewiring HR: How technology and AI are redefining the HR function
Technology and AI are transforming HR in 2025, shifting it from a back-office role to a strategic function vital for organisational success.

All Blacks great joins battle to keep ‘iconic’ stadium in public hands
Tuifa'asisina Sir Bryan Williams fears a commercial redevelopment at Western Springs would erase a vital community space.

Northern Mariana Islands' annual bird count highlights conservation success
The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) annual Christmas Bird Count once again showcased the vital role that community volunteers and conservation efforts play in protecting the islands' unique bird...

The transformation of American railroads: From industrial revolution to sustainable strength
America's railroads, vital since 1830, now embrace sustainability with innovative composite ties, reducing deforestation while ensuring safer, longer-lasting infrastructure.

Waipawa: $9 million confirmed for stopbank upgrades
'Cyclone Gabrielle has left an indelible mark, and progress like this is so vital.'

It’s World Password Day! 4 free, easy ways to improve your security
A ton of arbitrary holidays exist (ahem, Tin Can Day), but World Password Day is one fully supported by the PCWorld staff. We’re all for ditching weak passwords — especially when strengthening your security takes only a little effort. Follow these four easy suggestions and you’ll thank yourself for years to come. Not only will data breaches and hackers stop being immediate threats, but you won’t have to scramble to remember a collection of user name and passwords. That’s especially true if you opt for a newer form of account protection that’s simpler to use than passwords. Trust us, you want to safeguard yourself. Data breaches are common these days, and as Bitwarden’s 2024 survey results indicate, a concerning number of people still reuse passwords (31 percent in the U.S. do so for 11 to 20+ sites!). A lot of people also use very weak PIN codes, too. With so many data leaks, hackers can more easily figure out bad passwords and the personal info you might use in a password — another common bad habit (42 percent in the U.S.). Yikes. Get a password manager The best password manager Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Password managers make better account security so easy. You only have to memorize one strong password to safeguard nearly all your other login info. (Here’s how to come up with a good master password.) You shouldn’t have an issue finding a password manager that suits you, either — it’s perfectly normal to have reservations about them, but there are so many options out there. Want something that integrates seamlessly with your phone or browser? Google, Apple, and Firefox’s password managers are basic but solid. Hate the idea of all your passwords sitting in the cloud? Try KeePass or one of its variants. Need support for advanced two-factor authentication methods, like a YubiKey? Many paid services include it. Password managers now also generally support passkeys, a simpler yet more secure method of account protection. Paying for a good solution isn’t always necessary either, as you’ll see when going over our lists of the best paid password managers and the best free password managers. The kinds of features that unlock when paying for services are helpful indeed, especially if you’re using multiple devices or want to secure passwords for multiple people, but they’re not absolutely vital otherwise. That said, our go-to solution — Dashlane — makes managing passwords dead simple and only costs $33 per year, or $2.75 per month. It’s money well spent for the added security (and the extra polish). And don’t worry if you try one service and don’t like it. Exporting and importing password databases is simple. Use strong, unique passwords for everything Companies like Terahash can combine several hundred GPUs to crack short passwords instantly. This chart shows how longer passwords can make the process impossibly long, even with such computing power on hand.Terahash / Twitter Even websites that barely register in your memory deserve a strong, unique password. If you’ve left behind traces of personal information — or financial information, like stored credit card info — unauthorized access to your account could lead to future headaches. Normally, remembering a strong, random, and unique password for every place you visit on the internet would be a pain in the rear. Everything requires a login these days. But with a password manager (which of course you’ve just set up!), you no longer have that responsibility. So long as you have the browser extension (or app installed on your phone), you can let it choose a password for you. Just tell it how many characters in length and what mix of them. (Security experts currently recommend 24 characters in length, randomly generated with numbers, letters, and special characters; you can also opt for a similarly long passphrase for things you need to manually type.) The fun part is that because you don’t have to memorize each password yourself, long and complex strings aren’t a hassle. If you want to really level up your login security, you can also use strong, unique user names, too. With a password manager tracking everything, being randominternetuser13960 on one site, ithurtstomove4582 on another, and pizzacoma2259 on a third is a cinch. Have to use an email address for your login? Gmail and some other email providers let you create aliases by adding a plus sign (+) and phrase after your account name. So for example, you could use emailaddress+likesbooks@gmail.com to distinguish that particular site. Or better yet, you can wholesale upgrade to email masks for true anonymity. Enable two-factor authentication, too Two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security while logging in.Apple We hate to say it, but these days, strong passwords alone aren’t enough to ward off threats. Data breaches happen, and so do moments of being caught off-guard by phishing attempts. Two-factor authentication adds another layer to your login process. Instead of having immediate access to your account upon entering your user name and password, you’ll have to pass another security check before access is granted. (You can read more about how 2FA works in our explainer, which also gives more details on the common forms available.) Like using a password manager, two-factor authentication doesn’t have to be a cumbersome addition to your login process. Apps like Authy, Aegis, and Ravio make accessing your 2FA codes on multiple devices simple, and support easy security measures like biometric authentication to protect those codes from prying eyes. We of course recommend enabling two-factor authentication on as many accounts as possible, but at minimum, do it for major accounts like email and financial services — places with info that could wreak havoc on your life if someone else got unauthorized access. Also consider protecting your Amazon, social media, Steam, and work accounts (and their info ripe for use in social engineering) in this way, too. For sites that don’t have two-factor authentication — which sadly includes a large number of e-commerce sites — you can help limit damage from unauthorized account access by not leaving your credit card information and address on file. Use a passkey Most people will probably use a phone for their passkey storage, but they work with Windows PCs, Apple hardware, and security keys, too.Google This newer form of account authentication has been spreading steadily since last year, and just in time, too. Passkeys cut out a lot of the hassle of using passwords while also providing strong security out the gate — a quality of life upgrade sorely needed as online security gets more complex. You just need a device like a phone, tablet, or even your PC to serve as an authenticator. It’ll be registered to your account when you generate the passkey. Afterward, you’ll get prompts on the device to authorize logins, which you’ll approve using face identification, a fingerprint, or a PIN. It’s incredibly simple, and more importantly, passkeys are more resistant to the current effects of data breaches. Because they are an asymmetrical form of encryption, a hacker can’t guess at your passkey based on the compromised website’s encrypted login data. Only you have the other part of the puzzle, and it’s a different kind of piece than the part saved to your website account. You can also use a password manager to store passkeys, though they’re currently a bit less secure than using a physical device. You can read more about passkeys in our coverage of Google’s launch of passkey support for its accounts (as well as in Google’s own excellent overview of the topic), but basically, this is the cutting-edge of online security. A passkey eliminates the hassles of passwords, along with the pressing need for two-factor authentication, and should make protecting your accounts much easier. Good websites support both passwords and passkeys — so you can still have a password + 2FA combo as an alternate method to login (just in case you lose your device with stored passkeys), but use your passkey day-to-day with less hassle. There’s more you can do, of course — and it’s also easy seriously, dashlane rocks Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane All set up with your password manager and two-factor authentication, and feeling primed to go even further? Learning more of the ins and outs of your password manager will help integrate it into your life even more seamlessly. Installing your service’s companion smartphone app and browser extension is just a starting point — check out our guide on how to make most of your password manager for more tips. You can also have a look at our story about 5 easy tasks that supercharge your security. If you’ve followed this article’s advice, you’re already more than halfway there! Editor’s note: This article first ran on World Password Day 2024, but we’re bumping it again for 2025. It’s helpful info!

Fiji hospital promises Kiwis complex surgeries for 'a fraction' of the cost in New Zealand
Pacific Specialist Healthcare is now accepting referrals for Kiwi patients, but one Aotearoa practitioner warns "people should embark on this with an abundance of caution".

Budget 2025: Rural communities to benefit from urgent care services funding boost
'Geography shouldn’t be a barrier to getting the healthcare you need.'

Maranga at risk: Maori men’s mental health programme faces funding crisis
The tikanga-led initiative supporting tane through wananga and connection to identity may lose vital support under Whanau Ora changes.

Telstra Health partners with Salesforce to unify digital health
Telstra Health partners with Salesforce and Snowflake to enhance its digital health ecosystem, aiming to unify healthcare platforms across Australia and New Zealand.

Asia-Pacific organisations honoured for digital transformation
Smart Communications has honoured leading Asia-Pacific firms, including ING and Westpac, with 2025 SCALE Awards for digital transformation and customer engagement.

Watch: Ex-All Black apologises for comical kicking blunder that nearly cost Blues
Angus Ta’avao and the Blues saw the funny side of his wild air swing that almost denied the defending champions a vital bonus point.

6 reasons people don’t use a password manager—and why they’re wrong
A lot of people still have weak security practices, especially for their passwords. They’re reusing them, relying on easily cracked ones, or are unaware of current recommended guidelines. Their reasons for not using a password manager are usually understandable, too. But they’re still wrong. Passwords are similar to the locks on the front door of a house. And when you live in a city (the internet is definitely that crowded), everyone throws on at least one lock. But choose the doorknob’s lock, and it takes but a minute for an experienced burglar to get past it. You want a deadbolt at a minimum, and in higher traffic or rougher neighborhoods, you might have a thicker door (or even an iron gate before your door), sturdier hinges, and longer screws for your deadbolt strike plate. And yet, you don’t have to rely solely on keys to deal with your door locks. These days you can tailor your safety setup to make life easier and still more secure—e.g., using PIN pads, Bluetooth readers, and other methods to gain entry. Password managers are the same. You can choose one that works for you, whatever your needs or concerns—you don’t need to rearrange your life for it. Don’t believe me? Watch as I dismantle the top six reasons people don’t use a password manager lickety-split. Already using a password manager? Here are 10 ways to make the most of it. Reason 1: I have my own system and it works fine Your passwords are hopefully not this weak, but a homebrew system still can’t beat out a password manager.Shutterstock A lot of folks still believe using numbers and symbols in place of letters or riffing off of a base password is sufficient protection. The sad news is that those strategies aren’t strong enough anymore and haven’t been for a while. My colleague Mark Hachman explains how easy it can be to crack a password—and extrapolate patterns and habits to make cracking future passwords even easier. In other words, it’s becoming easier and easier to pick the lock on a digital door. You can gamble on never getting hit with an account takeover attempt, but you’re going to lose that bet sooner rather than later. Data breaches are only increasing in frequency (and scope), with potential fallout also increasing as vital services move further online. And even if you are generating your own long passphrases or even randomized passwords, keeping track of them will either be less protected than in a password manager (a spreadsheet with an innocuous name isn’t secure, alas) or slip your memory at some point. Reason 2: It takes too much time You can set up a password manager to automatically fill in your login info, as well as generate and save passwords. It’s much faster than manual input. (Shown here: iCloud Keychain on an iPhone.)PCWorld Not true! Typing out your login info takes longer than having your password manager pop up and autofill the credentials for you. So while it may seem like it’s slowing down your process to use one, it’s not. As for setting up the password manager—some require no work to make them part of your routine. The ones built into Google, Apple, and Microsoft’s ecosystems (heck, even into browsers like Firefox) tie in with your existing account and offer automated password management across devices. Even third-party password managers are pretty seamless if you can spare a few minutes to sign up and then install a browser extension and mobile app. You might have to also tweak a system setting or two to ensure full integration into your flow, but it’s fast if you do. Once that’s complete, the experience is nearly as effortless as with first-party password managers—and you get more robust features. Oh, and entering all your passwords into the manager doesn’t have to happen all at once, either. It’s ideal, but if you take care of the sensitive accounts (and upgrade the quality of your passwords for them too!), you can then gradually add more credentials as you log into those accounts. Reason 3: It costs too much Bitwarden, our top pick for free password managers, offers a ton of features. You don’t have to spend any money in order to have good security.PCWorld You don’t have to spend a single cent for a good password manager. OUr favorite paid password manager Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Yes, paid password managers do often get recommended, but that’s because of their extra useful features—not their level of protection. A paid service will offer a wider range of two-factor authentication options (like hardware authentication keys or the ability in the password manager to generate software-based tokens), easier password sharing, family plans with group access to passwords, special travel-oriented features, and more. For not much cash, you get a tangible quality of life improvement. But a good free password manager will store all of your login info securely and also easily generate long, random passwords for every website and app. And just like paid password managers, it will also recognize sites you visit and offer to automatically fill in your credentials, as well as support basic two-factor authentication. The better free services also provide a way to share passwords securely, set an emergency access for trusted contacts, and can generate unique user names (not just passwords), email masks, and more. Reason 4: Having all my passwords in one place is dangerous You can use an app like Authy or Aegis to generate two-factor authentication tokens.PCWorld I hear you on this one. The idea that you would put all of your passwords in one place can seem like a direct contradiction with security. If someone breaks in, you could be in for a world of pain. But you can mitigate this concern with little difficulty. Your first line of defense: Choose a good master password and enable two-factor authentication. This is arguably the most important thing you can do to safeguard yourself. You can (and should) also protect your accounts by requiring a PIN, biometric authentication, or your master password for all installed browser extensions and apps. How you choose to store your passwords can minimize or eliminate this issue, too. For example, you can lean on KeePass as your manager, which gives you complete control over the file holding all your login info. Save it on a trusted PC or external drive (don’t forget to back it up!) and access to your passwords will remain limited. KeePass might not look like much, but it gets the job done while giving you complete control over your password database. You can also opt for one of its forks, like KeePassXC, for a more modern interface.PCWorld Or you can spread your passwords between different services and apps. Maybe you sign up for both Dashlane and Bitwarden, storing a mix of accounts in each. Alternatively, you could put your info for less valuable accounts in a cloud-based manager, while your high-value account info stays locked up tight in a KeePass file. Another riff on this idea: Split passwords themselves into different fragments and store them across different accounts. For all of these scenarios, you can have both browser extensions or apps installed on your devices for simultaneous use. These options are a little more complicated, but you’ll still be remembering no more than a couple of mega-strong passwords. And you’ll have a faster and stronger system than typing out passwords kept in your brain. Reason 5: Storing my passwords in the cloud seems risky You can approximate a DIY cloud-based password system if you choose KeePass and store its database with a cloud provider you trust. Or just keep the file offline for complete control—the choice is yours.Microsoft This is a fair concern. Even the most diligent company could have a vulnerability in their system. Bugs are an unfortunate but regular part of software development. But you still have options. As mentioned earlier, KeePass saves passwords to a local file, which lets you keep that data out of cloud-based storage. Or you can DIY your own cloud solution by uploading a KeePass vault file to a cloud storage provider you trust (one that has enough engineers to properly ward off hackers and have proper safeguards against rogue employees)—e.g., Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive. You can go with a hybrid system instead as well. Use an online password manager for medium- and lower-value accounts (places that have your address and billing info, but not more), while financial and other highly personal accounts are stored in a more tightly controlled environment. If you’ve been OK with using Ilovetarget.com as your password for shopping online at Target, this solution surely can’t be that objectionable. Reason 6: I’ll get stuck with a password manager I hate Nope, you can move at will. A standard practice for all reputable password managers is the ability to export your passwords. The better services allow you to export as an encrypted file, which minimizes the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. By the way, always choose the encrypted option, because a plain-text file of all your passwords is no bueno. (This one’s easy to lay to rest!) Good password managers will let you export your passwords in an encrypted format for easy and safe transfers. (Shown here: Bitwarden’s browser extension.) PCWorld Any (reputable) password manager is better than none This won’t be the last time I write about password managers, much less try to convince people to use them. But let me say, whenever you hear different arguments from tech journalists (even right here among the PCWorld staff!) about why paid password managers are better, or that browser-based password managers should be passed over—don’t let that confuse you. Or turn that into a reason to write off online security as too complicated. The reputable password manager that you use is the best one. Simple as that. I just want you all to be safe. Having to frantically recover an account or deal with identity theft is no one’s idea of a good time.