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I finally admit defeat and ditch paper in favour of KeePass and Dropbox
I've long held that it's best to keep a written list of passwords that can be safely locked away when not in use. Very safely in may case as anyone who has to listen to me fighting with my desk drawer every morning will testify. The trouble is that now I've just got too many password for this to work.
The passwords are now spread over about ten pages and I've discovered that I've written down the same account more than once, even on the same page.
So I've settled for a portable version of KeePass installed in my Dropbox folder. I could get away with just the password file in there but the software is so small that it seems more convenient.
Entering the passwords took a little while but then there were about eighty, and that's after the duplicates had been removed.
KeePass has been quite easy to use and I like the way that it locks itself when minimised to the TaskBar. That offers extra security even if I forget to press Windows and L to lock the computer when I leave my desk.
The only snag that I can see is that the only official release of Keepass is for Windows and I do spend some time using Ubuntu as well. Thankfully there is a version for Ubuntu, albeit unofficial, so that should be the solution.
That just leaves the question of how I safely dispose of the paper notes....
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password managers
i have been using roboform to keep my passwords safe since the beginning of the summer. definitely recommend to anyone. heard about keepass too but id rather use a product thats been around longer.
Posted by Megan Case, 19 Sep 2012
Good but not great
I second the recommendation in the other comment. I found Keepass to be lacking a lot of feature I had gotten used to using RoboForm since around 2004. There is something to be said for being the first and most widely used.
Posted by Phillip Blake, 27 Sep 2012
Managing online secure details securely
Forget password managers. My DIY password system is not only as good as it gets, but is simple to operate and keep secure. Have offered it to Computeractive many times but never published I have 94 passwords, account names, user-names, card numbers, pin numbers, dates of expiry, mothers names, places where lived, customer account details, favourite hobbies, foods, music etc, etc. All and more used by the whole spectrum of online providers whether banks, retailers, forums, utility providers, etc., etc. Totally impossible to remember all but a few. My solution? A file (lets call it MYAXS geddit?) that lists them all by name, followed by details. This includes the url or website address so that if hyperlinked it will connect directly from the list, so no false connections. MYAXS (in XP) is added to Start List so accessible while online. Security? Well for starters the file is password protected. I use a group of keys easy to remember and as long as possible so I don't have to remember any password, just the group of keys. Querty could be 2wsxcde3 or 0okmnji98uhb (check out how easy this is to do!). Keyboard loggers, screen grabbers? No chance – my file details are first enclosed in non-alpha characters like !"£$%^&*()+< ? so details can be copied ready to paste, either by a single click or by click-hold between enclosing characters. This allows parts of the detail, say a credit card number to be in a white font and not visible on screen but will still copy. From scratch, call up file, find details, go online, link to website, copy paste as required. Tell me if you can fault it?
Posted by Bill Munns, 02 Feb 2013