43 replies to this topic

[bjrn]

Well, I think it's mainly since I've been using the internet that I've gotten more and more passwords. In the beginning it was easy, and I could remember them all. But I was online more and I got more and more accounts and forgetting passwords or using the right password, but in the wrong place. So I started writing them down on a piece of paper. But then I realised that a paper wasn't very handy. So then I started using software to keep track of my passwords. I mainly started using software because I came across the website of the guy who made a free app to do it.

This was several years ago, the guy who made is was Bruce Schneier (a well known computer security and cryptology guy) and the app was Password Safe. Since then Bruce has stopped developing Password Safe and instead made it open source and given it to a development team who continue to work on it.


I still use Password Safe, but I would like to know how you keep track of your passwords. Do you keep it all in your head? Do you write it down on paper? Do you use software? Do you tell your mom and call her whenever you forget a password? Tell us your solution!

If you want to try out Password Safe you can get it from their project page.

[no9t9]

i use a program called passpack. It is a very simple program that is only like 15k. You can save all your stuff in there and you can search all the data. It doesn't offer a whole lot of "extra" features but it is supposed to be really secure because it uses a bunch of encryption techniques on the save file along with a 160bit key.

I'm not even gonna pretend I know anything about encryption, keys, ciphers, and all that crap. I just know that higher is better.

[dexter]

Your own head is most secure. I have a system for passwords depending on importance. If it is just something I don't care about, it has a very simple password, whereas if it's more important I have a more difficult password. And if it really needs to be secure, I have a single password for that place only.

It just keeps the number of passwords I need to remember down.

[alapidus]

i just use notepad. its not very hard! my system:

site (username if more than one): password

i don't need a special program to manage about 10-15 passwords... how many sites do you go on??? O_O

maybe i'm just used to using notepad for everything... i dunno. (my only problem with it is the lack of a good search tool, and no tabs like in firefox). its a pretty great program. simple, yet great! >_>

[bjrn]

alapidus, on Jan 23 2005, 04:14 AM, said:

i don't need a special program to manage about 10-15 passwords... how many sites do you go on??? O_O

Well, it's easy to get more than 10-15. Trap17 alone is two (cpanel & trap17 forums). And then I have my mail, and then other forums I use (forums often need registration to even read), several dev sites, like java.sun.com and so on and so on.


I forgot to mention that Password Safe also uses encryption to protect the passwords. It uses Blowfish, which is a free (and faster) alternative to DES.

[Becca]

I just use what comes with my compputer... It automatically saves all my passwords... for next start up.... fire fox saves your form information and passwords automatically I think. So that is pretty good.... I use to use some password thing but my cousin found out loads of my passwords and did very bad things.... lol

[no9t9]

my favorite is when people use internet browsers in public places and don't realize that there is a password save thing on. Half the computers at schools, library, etc. have people who just don't know or don't care that their password is saved.

the other thing that cracks me up is people who install MSN on public computers and have it save their password. I have fun telling off their friends..

[brandice]

I have always been a little scared of the programs that save your passwords. And I share my computer with four other people. So for most things, I just remember my passwords.

It's kind of hard when I have a million email addresses and I am signed up at three messages boards but I have a system. I only have about five passwords that I shift around from thing to thing. If I ever forget what goes where I only have to make a few tries.

[bjrn]

brandice, on Jan 23 2005, 05:34 PM, said:

I have always been a little scared of the programs that save your passwords. And I share my computer with four other people. So for most things, I just remember my passwords.

Well, that's a bit what you have a program for. Writing down on paper or in a plain text file are obviously both very insecure. But if you use a program (like Password Safe) you will have a password protected and encrypted file.

So unless you use a very simple password or passphrase for the program no one but you will get access to your passwords.

[Dazed]

bjrn, on Jan 22 2005, 06:01 PM, said:

Well, I think it's mainly since I've been using the internet that I've gotten more and more passwords. In the beginning it was easy, and I could remember them all. But I was online more and I got more and more accounts and forgetting passwords or using the right password, but in the wrong place. So I started writing them down on a piece of paper. But then I realised that a paper wasn't very handy. So then I started using software to keep track of my passwords. I mainly started using software because I came across the website of the guy who made a free app to do it.

This was several years ago, the guy who made is was Bruce Schneier (a well known computer security and cryptology guy) and the app was Password Safe. Since then Bruce has stopped developing Password Safe and instead made it open source and given it to a development team who continue to work on it.
I still use Password Safe, but I would like to know how you keep track of your passwords. Do you keep it all in your head? Do you write it down on paper? Do you use software? Do you tell your mom and call her whenever you forget a password? Tell us your solution!

If you want to try out Password Safe you can get it from their project page.

I onyl use two different passwords for everything i sign up for. So for me its pretty easy to remember the pws. I know its not too safe to have the same pw for eveything, but ehh it helps me remember.