CNET's Michael Horowitz runs down the ins and outs of securing and restoring private, secure access to your Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail account, whether it's been infiltrated, locked you out, or you're just looking to ensure its privacy. It's a good guide that might make you think twice about your web mail practices, especially if you haven't run through his final bit of advice: Test your password recovery procedure—the kind that left Sarah Palin's Yahoo Mail account wide open—before anyone else does.

Anyone involved in backing up computer files knows the importance of testing the recovery process and the same applies with Web mail. The best way to insure that you can recover or reset your password is try it.

Horowitz covers the pros and cons of the three major web mail services, so if you're using a different service with better (or worse) security, tell us how you lock it down in the comments.

Windows only: Free utility ChromePass displays all the passwords Google Chrome has saved for your web site logins. You can view saved passwords one by one in Chrome itself, but ChromePass displays the list all at once, and lets you export your username and password list to a file (XML, HTML, comma or tab delimited text). ChromePass also displays the name of the username and password field, and the time it was created. It doesn't look like ChromePass can import a file of passwords, so the exported file is just a reference if you want to take your saved passwords to go. ChromePass is a free download for Windows only.

According to Wired, hacking VP-hopeful Sarah Palin's email account was easy: all the hacker needed was Palin's birthdate, ZIP code, and the name of her high school—all of which are no more than a Google search away. In fact, password security questions may have always been the weakest link in email security, since anyone with an acquaintance's knowledge or access to the internet can divine answers to most of your security questions within minutes. So how can you make sure your email account is secure?

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Our favourite bookmark-syncing extension for Firefox, Foxmarks, is venturing into syncing your passwords as well as your bookmarks between browsers over the internet. Coupled with Foxmarks' new profile support, you can selectively sync what passwords go where and keep your banking passwords at home and your IT passwords at work. You have to opt into the password sync beta to enable it in your Foxmarks account. Of course, trusting your important passwords to a feature in beta—no matter how secure it appears to be—should make anyone concerned about security and privacy antsy, so do proceed with caution, and maybe only use this feature for your low-security passwords. Do you sync your passwords to the cloud, or do you wish you could? Let us know in the comments.

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A good password management application makes your life easier and your identity monumentally more secure, and free application KeePass—the most popular password manager among Lifehacker readers—is the perfect place to start. We've already walked you through getting started with KeePass, so let's take a closer look at how to get the most from your password management with a few of the best KeePass tricks and plug-ins.

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If your memory or mistyping leaves you without the right password to get into an account on a Linux computer, there's no need to reformat. Make Magazine's Hacks Blog gives a step-by-step account of the command line fix you can make by booting into "single user mode." The fix is written from an Ubuntu perspective, but applies to most any Linux system that boots with the GRUB manager. It's also a reminder that even a password-protected Linux box isn't truly protected from the curious, so consider encrypting your data or taking other measures. Photo by Carl Johan.

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You've got enough to keep track of in your day-to-day life without filling your head with the countless logins and passwords you've racked up over the years, and the Post-It note on your monitor just isn't an option. Luckily, there are several fantastic and secure password management applications designed to make it easy for you to remember, manage, and secure your passwords effortlessly.

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Windows/Mac/Linux: Firefox extension and Internet Explorer add-on LastPass is a secure password manager for all your web passwords. Like other web-focused password managers, LastPass puts all of your individual passwords behind one master password. When you type in that master password, LastPass can then automatically log you in to any web site you visit with saved login credentials. Even better, LastPass syncs passwords over the internet, so all your saved passwords on your work computer, for example, will always be synced up on your home computer. I haven't been using it for long, but so far LastPass works seamlessly with Firefox and exactly as expected.

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iPhone/iPod touch only: Free application 1Password makes logging into secure sites much easier on the iPhone's mobile Safari browser by creating a double-protected mini-database of your passwords. The app won't auto-fill login forms in Safari, but provides its own mini-browser that plugs in your credentials into any site's login form. Great for checking your bank accounts or secure work data, but the big drawback is lack of a keyboard inside the mini-browser—so no further typing once you're in. Of course, you can just use 1Password as a memory-booster for your user/password combos, for which it works just fine. Users of 1Password's Mac version can sync their passwords between versions with the $US35 upgrade. 1Password is a free download for iPhones and iPod touch devices only.

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Create secure passwords from a master phrase with web-based app Password Chart. Enter a phrase and Password Chart generates a table of values for the alphabet based off that phrase. For example, starting with phrase "Lifehacker helps me get things done.", I converted my existing password "mysecretpassword" into the much less crackable "bs3rK@y4wB@yP8s68iueKK!3vB4MF". For the analogue among us, you can even print off the password chart to store or keep with you. For a more digital based password management system, check out our guide to securely tracking your passwords.

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