Password Safe - Help Remembering Passwords

One thing that is very annoying is forgetting a password. Hunched over my keyboard incessantly pounding away in an effort to regain access to my system. This problem is compounded by the fact that I employ full disk encryption on my hard drive.

We have not found an easy replacement for passwords yet and I can't bear the thought of leaving my computer insecure. But remembering dozens of passwords is hard and often confusing. I need a secure way to remember all of my passwords.

Enter Password Safe 3.0. A simple and effective mechanism to take the burden of remembering numerous passwords off of my tired mind.

Background

Password Safe is a free Windows utility designed by Bruce Schneier which allows users to keep hundreds of passwords secure while still maintaining easy access to them all. As long as the user can remember a single password/combination, all of the passwords can be accessed immediately. The one combination unlocks them all. If a user can't remember a single strong password, then reading this guide isn't likely to solve your security woes 8-). With that said, a single combination can be seen as a liability as it provides a single mechanism to gain access to the passwords.

Passwords are not the only way to provide security. Remember layered approaches. You can use disk encryption to protect the Password Safe Database. You would also have to gain access to the Operating System before a compromise could happen. So with a layered defence approach to your laptop/desktop security, a single password isn't a huge risk.

Password Safe uses something called the Blowfish encryption algorithm. Blowfish is a fast and free alternative to DES. The security of the program has been overseen by Counterpane Labs and continues to undergo scrutiny in the wild.

Ease of Use (5 Stars)

Organizing groups is as simple as right clicking and creating a new group. Usernames can be drag and dropped between groups simply. A variety of views including the default Nested tree mode and a flat tree view allow the user to easily pick the right password.

Usefulness (5 Stars)

All information is stored in the Password Safe database and is easily backed up using the built in backup utility or by exporting the data to be used elsewhere. Caution should be noted that when you export data to a plain text format, the information is just thatplain text. So don't leave it lying around. Better yet, export it to a Password Safe format and then the data is stored using your password/combination instead of being easily accessible in the form of a plaintext file.

Support (3 Stars)