Information Addicts

Overtime we accumulate many user-names and passwords for web sites that we like to visit, Facebook, MySpace, Netvibes, Skype,online applications, email, online banking, the list is endless.
However, most people use the same user-name and a simple password over and over, because it is easier to remember just one or two passwords, rather than ten, twenty or even more, (my last count of different passwords was 36), which makes it very easy for hackers or anyone else to access all your data once they have cracked your password.

Some users have the opposite problem in that they have countless user-names and passwords, and trying to remember them all is impossible, without writing them down.

Stop for a moment and imagine what would happen if someone managed to get hold of your personal information. It could mean disaster, and even your identity could be stolen, not to mention the inconvenience and time it would take to contact your bank, phone company, visa, police etc.
Passwords will always be one of the weakest links in any security chain. In order to maintain security, your password needs to be complex, but it should also be changed on a regular basis.
There is an answer in the form of Password managers, and I have found the top three most popular ones for you to try, because prevention is better than cure.

RoboForm

RoboForm is a very secure Password Manager and Web Form Filler that completely automates password entering and form filling.

Out of all the password managers this is the most popular on the internet and in my opinion about the best.
However, if you think differently please let me know in the comments.

You can download the free version which limits you to 10 passcards and 2 identities, (see below for more information).
The Pro version however is only $29.95 (£15 UK pounds) and is worth every penny, because you can have as many passcards and identities as you need.

When you install RoboForm (download is only 2.7MB) it adds a toolbar to your browser and an icon to your system tray, making it very easy to access the application.

After the initial installation you will be prompted to create a Master Password,
This is the only password you will need to remember. From this point forward RoboForm will remember the rest.

When you logon to a website RoboForm will ask you if you want your details saved, if you do it will automatically save and encrypt them as a passcard.

When you next visit the site, RoboForm will display the card you created, click on it and it will automatically log you in.

When you visit a new website that needs you to create a new username and password RoboForm can generate a random password that hackers cannot guess.

RoboForm can create an identity for you in which it will save personal details in a profile, for example your address, phone number, credit card, bank details etc. Then if you visit a website that asks for this information RoboForm will automatically fill it all in for you. You can have many identities.

RoboForm can also save your PIN codes, safe codes, serial numbers separately in SafeNotes.
Below are more of RoboForms features:

• Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.
• Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.
• Generates random passwords that hackers cannot guess.
• Fights Phishing by filling passwords only on matching web sites.
• Defeats Keyloggers by not using keyboard to type passwords.
• Backs up your passwords, Copies them between computers.
• Synchronizes passwords between computers using GoodSync.
• Searches for keywords in your passwords, notes and Internet.
• Portable: RoboForm2Go runs from USB key, no install needed.
• PDA-friendly: sync your passwords to Pocket PC and Palm.
• Neutral: works with Internet Explorer, AOL/MSN, Firefox.
• IE 7 and Vista are now supported.

Overall RoboForm is a great application that will allow you to create safe and secure passwords, highly recommended.

You can download it from here.

Comodo i-Vault

Comodo i-Vault manages, stores and encrypts passwords using the 256-bit AES encryption process, which means that all your information is very secure.

Comodo i-Vault is free and the download size is 7.9MB.
Comodo works by creating ‘Cards’, you can have many cards, containing your credit cards details, bank accounts details, website logins, pin codes,etc.

Once you have created a card for a website and then visit it, Comodo will automatically log you in and enter any details you want it to.

Comodo integrates with Internet Explorer to allow fully automatic login to websites (optional), but not Firefox. Which is one of the reasons I don’t like it as much as Roboform.

Comodo i-Vault also comes with a convenient Quick Password feature that allows you to quickly enter frequently used passwords from a popup menu that can be called via keyboard shortcut. Other features include a built-in password generator, secure clipboard transfer, integrated backup, export or printing of passwords and more.
Overall Comod i-Vault is a well thought out password manager, but not as sophisticated or feature rich as RoboForm, but as this application is free it is worth trying.
You can download Comodo i-Vault from here.

The above two applications are downloadable, which means that you are restricted to using them on that one pc. For people who travel, change computers often or who are unable to download any software on to the pc they work on, this option is not viable.
So what can you do? Easy, you use a web based solution and PassPack is one of them.

PassPack is a simple, secure and easy to use online password manager.

Personally, I am never to sure about entering my credit card, or bank details on the web, but wherever you store your details they can potentially be stolen.
However, the people at PassPack assure us that it is very secure (using US Government approved algorithm to encrypt your passwords) and offers Anti-phishing protection and disposable logins if you want to store them. No one will ever see your passwords not even PassPack staff.
The other good thing is that PassPack is completely anonymous. They gather no personal information from you.
I found creating an account was very easy and very secure, you need to create a user ID, a password in the form of a sentence and a packing key. When you next sign on you need to use all these again.
Once logged in, click on add entry, and enter your details. You can add anything from web logons to your visa card details. If you don’t have a password then passkey can generate one for you.

Below are a few of PassPack features:

• Click Auto-login, click to login as you browse. No plug-in needed.
• Rapid Sign In with “remember me”Enter just one key to access them all.
• Import, Export, Backup and Restore Move your data wherever you’d like.
• Optional Offline Version
• No internet connection? Access your stuff anywhere.

Overall I think PassPack is excellent for storing website logon details, passwords or even your email details.

Click here to go straight to the website.

If you are after something more sophisticated, there is also a very good password manager called Clipperz, it is more feature rich than PassPack, and also free, here is the link if you are interested.

Popularity: 22% [?]

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 am and is filed under PC Software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.