Why use a password manager?
Re: Why use a password manager?
[Moderator note: Responses to the note about PRISM have been moved to a separate thread.]
Re: Why use a password manager?
I started using a Password Manager (KeePass) this summer after the story about LinkedIn user information being leaked--and people learned LinkedIn passwords weren't being salted. I immediately changed all passwords and became a lot more anal about security. If my Google account, alone, was ever hacked, I'd be pretty upset because I use so many of Google's services: Blogger, AdSense, Gmail, calendar, Google Drive, etc.
I use the mobile version of KeePass and run it off a USB drive, so there is no sign of it existing on the computer itself, in case somebody snoops around.
The Master Key is a couple sentences long, not just one word.
The database is always backed up in several places; I can synch it with Dropbox or on one of my own websites (unless somebody knows it is there, and the URL, and the Master Key, it is pretty safe).
I use the password generator frequently to create long and ugly passwords, instead of using the same password for different accounts. I pick how long it should be (20 characters, etc.), if it should use upper and lower case letters, numbers, punctuation marks, special ASCII characters, etc. and--presto--it generates a long ugly password.
I also like the fact it offers a copy and paste feature for the user name and password without having to actually see what it is, reduces a keylogging risk, and clears the Clipboard in 20 seconds, to make sure no sensitive data is left there.
Overall, I am very happy with this software.
I use the mobile version of KeePass and run it off a USB drive, so there is no sign of it existing on the computer itself, in case somebody snoops around.
The Master Key is a couple sentences long, not just one word.
The database is always backed up in several places; I can synch it with Dropbox or on one of my own websites (unless somebody knows it is there, and the URL, and the Master Key, it is pretty safe).
I use the password generator frequently to create long and ugly passwords, instead of using the same password for different accounts. I pick how long it should be (20 characters, etc.), if it should use upper and lower case letters, numbers, punctuation marks, special ASCII characters, etc. and--presto--it generates a long ugly password.
I also like the fact it offers a copy and paste feature for the user name and password without having to actually see what it is, reduces a keylogging risk, and clears the Clipboard in 20 seconds, to make sure no sensitive data is left there.
Overall, I am very happy with this software.
Re: Why use a password manager?
Old thread update:
I meant to post this a long time ago but it got stuck in the archives:
http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.html
I meant to post this a long time ago but it got stuck in the archives:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicewarefreakazoid wrote:Also the concept of passphrases is new to me and I'm definitely going to use the Diceware method.
http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.html
Re: Why use a password manager?
A solid breakdown on your security options: password managers versus algorithms.