Do you use password management/protection software?

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
I keep promising myself that I will finally start using password protection software. With all the CC, bank and loyalty program websites I frequent daily, it really is time.

Here's an article I just came across about it that lists some of the many such software programs.
http://password-management-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

We interrupt for a public service announcement: As you'll see if you keep reading this thread, Matt notes:

Also, as an aside, I hate comparison sites like the one linked to as it is an affiliate led article, with no disclosures that you are clicking on affiliate links, and as such very dodgy.
Okay, back to the topic:

I would love some feedback/advice, specifically:

Do you use one?

Why did you pick the one you use?

Have you ever had a problem with it?

How long did it take to switch over from your manual list of PWs to using the software?

Thanks for any suggestions y'all may have. Much appreciated!
 
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Matt

Administrator
Staff member
Interesting topic - I haven't yet committed to one, but was narrowing it down to LastPass, KeePass or Roboform. Also, as an aside, I hate comparison sites like the one linked to as it is an affiliate led article, with no disclosures that you are clicking on affiliate links, and as such very dodgy.
 

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
Also, as an aside, I hate comparison sites like the one linked to as it is an affiliate led article, with no disclosures that you are clicking on affiliate links, and as such very dodgy.
Oops, I barely looked at it. I just wanted something that listed some of the software options in this niche. I was about to delete it but on second thought will edit the post and leave it as an example of a "bad" site!
 

thebigapple

Level 2 Member
I do use password management - specifically, KeePass. I like how it is very portable and lightweight and doesn't need administrative privs on your computer to run (important if you install it on a work laptop where such software is permissible).

With KeePass, you can manually configure the keystrokes and the title of the window (and if the title of the window does not match the title in KeePass, it does not work). For example, for this forum, the title I have programmed is "*|Saverocity The Forum*" (wildcards, like the "*" are permitted). The only trouble I run into is when the title changes (i.e. if it changes to "Saverocity - The Forum", the dash will break it). However, it is very easy to reprogram once you get in the hang of it.

The nice thing about titles is that you can use the software anywhere on your computer - for example, within iTunes, it will ask me for my password before purchasing, I programmed the iTunes title into KeePass, and it will type it in for me, so it works in more than just your browser.

It took me about a year to eventually migrate everything over to KeePass, but within a month I had all my day-to-day items taken care of (banks, websites I visit frequently, etc).
 

Anh

Level 2 Member
Interesting topic - I haven't yet committed to one, but was narrowing it down to LastPass, KeePass or Roboform. Also, as an aside, I hate comparison sites like the one linked to as it is an affiliate led article, with no disclosures that you are clicking on affiliate links, and as such very dodgy.
Yep - sometimes the URL is already a telltale sign...
 

Alex1432

Level 2 Member
Are you doing this for security our ease of use?

If it's for security I am not sold that this is a battery strategy. Nowadays people don't guess passwords or do brute force attacks on log ins so having ten random characters doesn't help. Most of the time passwords are stolen by either hacking a site like ebay or installing a virus on a user's pc. If it's the former then your password strength doesn't matter if it's the latter then it's even worse because now all your passwords are stolen at once.
 

thebigapple

Level 2 Member
I use it for both.

All of the passwords that I use are pre-generated in KeePass and so are pretty secure, and no two sites have the same password. KeePass has a system called Two-Channel Auto-Type Obfuscation, which means that traditional keyloggers won't work (http://keepass.info/help/v2/autotype_obfuscation.html)

It would be possible for someone to get a hold of the master password using a keylogger, but then they would also need to get access to the KeePass database file as well. Given that I am generally behind corporate firewalls and have other security measures in place (including having my hard drive encrypted in case my laptop was stolen), I am not as concerned about the file being stolen.
 

littlenemo

Laughing Coffin Member
I started with securesafe.

Then progressed to Google Drive.

Now I use 1Password. All the passwords sync across all computers, iPhones and iPad and its easier to use. Click on the password it it opens of the page and automatically logs you into the account.

Perfect for people that manage multiple bluebirds, credit cards, loyalty programs, etc. I also store personal info and cc info as well so when I go checkout, it auto fills that info as well.
 

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
Are you doing this for security our ease of use?

If it's for security I am not sold that this is a battery strategy. Nowadays people don't guess passwords or do brute force attacks on log ins so having ten random characters doesn't help. Most of the time passwords are stolen by either hacking a site like ebay or installing a virus on a user's pc. If it's the former then your password strength doesn't matter if it's the latter then it's even worse because now all your passwords are stolen at once.
Great question. For me it is more for convenience than safety although that does play in as well. You make excellent points re: how PWs are hacked and while a hacked account is a pain, in most cases one will be made whole by the site once the problem is discovered. Of course that could take a long time plus lots of inconvenience. But my primary issue is convenience. I waste a lot of time checking my PW list and signing into sites. I think automating that and auto fill beyond what my browsers offer would be great.

Thanks, everyone. Please keep your suggestions and experience with such software coming!
 

SCC

Level 2 Member
I use lastpass and have for probably the last 3+ years. I use it for convenience more than security. It will pick random passwords if you want, but as @Alex1432 said, I feel like most password thefts are coming from the sites themselves, so I use my own passwords that I can usually remember if I don't have the extension on a browser or am somewhere public.

I will freely admit that it may not be the most secure method, but damn if it isn't convenient and to date I haven't had any problems.
 

Annie H.

Egalatarian
Interesting topic - I haven't yet committed to one, but was narrowing it down to LastPass, KeePass or Roboform. Also, as an aside, I hate comparison sites like the one linked to as it is an affiliate led article, with no disclosures that you are clicking on affiliate links, and as such very dodgy.
I've used RoboForm Everywhere for several years and I'm getting more disillusioned with it by the day. It doesn't work that well with Chrome, I don't like it on my tablet and it's just laziness that is keeping me from moving on to something else. I've often thought of using a separate PW keeper on my tablet where I only store non-financial PW just in case of loss.
 

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
I've used RoboForm Everywhere for several years and I'm getting more disillusioned with it by the day. It doesn't work that well with Chrome, I don't like it on my tablet and it's just laziness that is keeping me from moving on to something else. I've often thought of using a separate PW keeper on my tablet where I only store non-financial PW just in case of loss.
Thanks, Annie H, and everyone above, for all the feedback. This is the first negative I have heard about RoboForm. Definitely a helpful data point. I for sure want something that will work well on the various browsers, as well as on my Mac, ipad and phone.
 

StammesOpfer

Level 2 Member
Charity Forum Mod
I use KeePass and integrate it into chrome with chromeIpass. I have the Password DB synced on Google Drive and MS OneDrive. then I have the app on my phone for when I am out and about. Completely free open source password manager with syncing. It takes a little more to setup but works great and I don't have to worry about a company's security or about them going out of business. I tried a couple of the other but the features I wanted were in the subscription versions and I have something against paying monthly fees. Not to mention transferring all those password if I cancel service.
 

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
I was at the Apple store today for a workshop and the person helping me mentioned that there is a way to save all your passwords in the cloud. We were doing what needed to happen to enable me to work on documents from either my laptop or my ipad seamlessly, and he commented that another feature could help with passwords. He said it does not work for every site, but that storing PWs in the cloud can be a vast improvement to keeping a list manually. I will get more info at my next one-to-one session and update folks here about that possibility.
 

bvddy

New Member
I was just reading an old Lifehacker article about password storage sites - I'm up in the air between Keepass and Lastpass, and I'll probably end up making the choice within the next few days. It seems like a great place to keep things centralized and accessible.
 

f0xx

Level 2 Ninja
I personally use LastPass. The integration between Windows/OSX/Chrome/Firefox/IE/Safari/iOS/Android etc is amazing.

I was just reading an old Lifehacker article about password storage sites - I'm up in the air between Keepass and Lastpass, and I'll probably end up making the choice within the next few days. It seems like a great place to keep things centralized and accessible.
If you have a .edu account. They'll give you access to LastPass Premium for 6 months.
 

RTR

Level 2 Member
Second the recommendation of LastPass with the YubiKey. Can setup more than one Yubikey so I keep one at work and the other at home.
 

AU1

Level 2 Member
I use KeePass, combined with Keepass2Android Offline, and KeeFox for Firefox. I don't store the database online; all copies are stored locally. Once you set everything up with window titles, URLs, and entry sequences, it works very smoothly. It's free and all open-source.
 

littlenemo

Laughing Coffin Member
I was at the Apple store today for a workshop and the person helping me mentioned that there is a way to save all your passwords in the cloud. We were doing what needed to happen to enable me to work on documents from either my laptop or my ipad seamlessly, and he commented that another feature could help with passwords. He said it does not work for every site, but that storing PWs in the cloud can be a vast improvement to keeping a list manually. I will get more info at my next one-to-one session and update folks here about that possibility.
In my experience it only works with Safari.
 

gomike

Level 2 Member
I used to love roboform, they got slow with updates and could never keep up with websites, I use lastpass now and have not looked back
 

Freakflyer

Level 2 Member
I use Roboform - with hundreds of web sites bookmarked and password protected - and it works great. Use it on various PCs, tablets, phones, etc. One complaint is that many of us bought a lifetime subscription which was pulled quite a few years ago. But definitely getting my annual fee worth.
 

Confectioneer

San Francisco Bay Area
Just a quick note to third...fourth?...the recommendation for 1Password. I use it for iPhone, iPad, and Mac and love how I can store passwords, freeform info, really anything that's text.

The biggest pain with iOS is lack of integration between programs like this and the browser. I'm really looking forward to that getting better with iOS 8 this fall.
 

f0xx

Level 2 Ninja
Just a quick note to third...fourth?...the recommendation for 1Password. I use it for iPhone, iPad, and Mac and love how I can store passwords, freeform info, really anything that's text.

The biggest pain with iOS is lack of integration between programs like this and the browser. I'm really looking forward to that getting better with iOS 8 this fall.
This is what I love about Android.
I go to an app and it automatically fills in the information with LastPass.
Amazing integration.
 

C. F. Frost

Level 2 Member
LastPass and XMarks have been very good for me over the past 3-4 years.
It lets me make unique, strong passwords without the stress of worrying about remembering them.

'cause too many people read XKCD for me to use correcthorsebatterystaple appropriately and uniquely with my limited memory
good analysis of password strength here - https://xato.net/passwords/analyzing-the-xkcd-comic/

 
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