I got a new Mac at work last week. Here’s everything I immediately installed.

Welcome back to our weekly technology-advice column. This week, we’re tackling a question from a reader who finds it annoying when his browser prompts him to save passwords on a service he’d rather not use. Does this sound like you? Read on.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to type in some stupid answer to a made-up question when creating an account on a new service. You know what I’m talking about: Forget your password, and you can regain access to your account by typing in the name of your first pet (Mr Mrglglrm), your favourite sports team (Saskatoon Sirens), or the street you grew up on (Third Street).

Large corporations collecting our data and resetting passwords after every major data breach can feel like an inevitability we just have to accept in 2019. But there are ways to protect your data and privacy.

There are a lot of fun new tricks in iOS 12. And if you’re big on security — who isn’t! — you’re going to love all the little password-themed features that Apple has dropped into its latest mobile operating system.

iOS: There are plenty of incredible password managers out there — 1Password and LastPass come to mind — but Mozilla has password-management aspirations of its own. The company just released two new new mobile apps as part of its Test Pilot program and one, Firefox Lockbox, is a pretty convenient way to pull up your passwords on your iPhone and iPad.

Mac: It's been a few years since we've seen AgileBits release a major update to its killer password management app, 1Password, which is why everyone's so excited about last week's debut of 1Password 7. This app should pretty much be a household name at this point, as it's one of the major password managers we recommend to create and store super-secure passwords and passphrases.

You know by now that you absolutely need a password manager. But you never get around to buying one. Let's fix that right now with RememBear, a new password manager that's easy to install and figure out. We tested it, and while we still prefer 1Password for most users, we recommend RememBear for beginners, especially during its free beta period.

If you're worried about protecting your online identity from hackers a password manager like 1Password is a good place to start, but setting up an account is only half the battle. Most of these services feature extra security features that you may not be taking advantage of.

iOS: You might not want to upgrade to iOS 11 just yet, but you should update these top-shelf iOS apps.

Password management services such as LastPass and 1Password are great because they make it easy to keep all your online accounts protected by using a single encrypted master password… at least in theory.

The US government recently revamped its password recommendations, abandoning its endorsement of picking a favourite phrase and replacing a couple characters with symbols, like c4tlo^eR. These short, hard-to-read passwords look complicated to humans but very very simple to computers.

Using a password manager is basically internet security 101 these days, but that doesn't make them any less intimidating. If you've never used a password manager, they're annoying, cumbersome to use, and baffling at a glance. 1Password is one of the easiest to use options around, but that doesn't mean you don't need some help setting it up.

1Password, one of the most popular password managers available, has announced a new subscription plan for individual users. The plan runs $US2.99 ($4)/month and is available for the first six months for free.

Mac: 1Password was updated today with a couple of new features that provide some speed boosts and make importing your passwords from another service a lot easier.

1Password introduced a new family plan today. For $US5 ($7) a month, up to five family members get full access to 1Password's suite of apps and services.

The Android version of AgileBits' 1Password had an update yesterday that adds support for fingerprint unlocking, as well as a complete interface makeover.

1Password is one of our top password manager choices. Today, it's changing the way it encrypts your data to keep even more metadata protected. On the surface, this doesn't change much, but it is a welcome security addition.

1Password iss a great password manager, but it can do more than just manage your online passwords. Over on the 1Password blog, they point out that it's also a great way to keep track of your physical inventory.