Simon Davis, RoboForm: “securing personal devices outside a corporate network is now more important”

Because the pandemic prompted the search for more digital and remote means, many activities are now performed in cyberspace. While convenient, it poses additional risks, creating a need for extra security layers.

Whether it’s working from home and using personal devices or shopping online, not taking any security measures can lead to major consequences. Not only the user but the whole company can end up being under attack.

The common mistake? Reusing passwords and never updating them, which is a highway to data breaches. And while it’s impossible to remember passwords for dozens of sites, that’s why password managers exist.

To find out how to ensure the best password hygiene, Cybernews talked to Simon Davis, the VP of Marketing at RoboForm – one of our top-rated password managers.

Would you like to share a little bit about your story? How did RoboForm come about more than two decades ago?

Originally, as the name suggests, RoboForm was a form filler for Internet Explorer. Early on, we saw that users were using it for username/password entering. We quickly modified the product to focus on logging users into their favorite sites. The rest, as they say, is history.

Can you introduce us to your password manager? What are its key features?

RoboForm comes in two personal versions: Free and Everywhere. Both include unlimited password storage, web form fill, multi-platform support, strong AES 256 encryptions, password audit, monitoring for compromised passwords, the ability to securely send Logins, the ability to receive Emergency Access, Windows application Logins support, access to RoboForm via 2FA, bookmarks, and a built-in TOTP authenticator.

RoboForm Everywhere is available as an Individual subscription ($1.99 per month, billed annually) or as a Family subscription, which includes 5 Everywhere accounts ($3.98 per month, billed annually). Everywhere adds syncing across all devices, cloud backup, 2 secure Shared folders, Sharing of individual items, web access, ability to grant Emergency Access, and priority 24/7 support.

For teams and enterprises, RoboForm for Business adds additional sharing, user management, and authentication options.

Some experts say that we are currently moving towards a passwordless future. What are your thoughts on this vision?

We have heard reports of the death of the password many times. So far, those reports have been greatly exaggerated!

Have you noticed any new security threats arise as a result of the current global events?

More people are working from home, so securing personal devices outside a corporate network is now more important.

In your opinion, what are the worst cybersecurity habits that can not only lead to an individual’s data being compromised but also put their organization in danger?

Reusing a known compromised username/password combination is up there. It’s the digital equivalent of taping copies of your house key to your front door. Luckily, a good password manager will tell you when your passwords have been included in a past breach and/or reused, making it easy to generate a new secure password for each site.

In your opinion, why do certain organizations fail to recognize the need for quality authentication solutions?

Most organizations are aware that users want and need secure authentication schemes; however, the common security environment is engineered around password-based authentication.

Why do you think companies often hesitate to try out new and innovative solutions that would enhance and secure their business operations?

For some, 'new and innovative' is perceived as 'untested'. However, this is anathema for security professionals who crave tried and true best practices.

Besides adopting good password security practices, what other security tools do you believe everyone should incorporate into their lifestyle?

I would definitely say to adopt two-factor authentication (2FA). It raises the difficulty threshold for an attacker exponentially.

Share with us, what’s next for RoboForm?

We recently added a 2FA authenticator to RoboForm and also made it easier to import from another password manager or browser.